A while ago, I wrote an article for BYU's Political Review called "Imagined Threat: The 'Radicalization' of the Egyptian Protests." Now, almost 3 months after publishing this article, I think it's time for an update.

     I've stayed updated on the situation in Egypt by watching Evan, a BYU student who releases a video every other week or so about his world-wide travels. His latest video contains footage of a demonstration he witnessed (yes, there are still demonstrations going on in Egypt) and his attempts to get a picture of the what he calls a "hijab holder":

     Aside from being interesting, Evan's series challenges the idea that sectarian violence has increased since the end of the revolution. Of course, one video is not enough to illustrate all that's going on in Egypt. I do, though, think it's informative. When so much of our news is filtered through other sources, it's nice to see actual footage from Egypt. If you liked Cairo Part 3, you should watch Evan's other videos from Cairo.

     Another BYU student, Estee, wrote an article last month about the importance of the military in deciding the extent to which Egypt will democratize. According to her argument, the military cares more about its economic power than its political power. Because the military is the most powerful body in the Egyptian government, it is crucial to ease its fears that it will lose economic power because of the protests.

     There have been signs that the army is still afraid. Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times reported about a month ago that torturing protestors was still a norm in Egypt. However, there are also signs that the government is providing enough concessions to satisfy most Egyptians. The amendments proposed by the government, which limit presidential terms and call for quick democratic elections, were overwhelmingly supported by the Egyptian people in a fair referendum. Many think that the Muslim Brotherhood's support of these amendments was crucial to their passing. The government has also recently taken foreign policy initiatives that, while putting Egypt at odds with the US and Israel, may garner more public support for the government. These initiatives include planning to permanently open the border with Gaza, hosting clandestine talks for the recent Hamas-Fatah unity deal, hinting that the government doesn't have to supply oil to Israel, and patching ties with Iran, considered an enemy by the Mubarak government.

     Overall, the government is taking a more antagonistic approach towards the US. Should it come as a surprise that the fall of a tyrannical, US-supported dictator has resulted in a government that is slightly more antagonistic towards the US? These policy changes will affect Egypt-US relations, so we ought to keep tabs on them, but we shouldn't be too afraid. For one, Egypt is still tied to US aid, and the last thing the military wants is an Islamist government that will threaten its power. Also, the Islamists gaining increased power are not Osama bin Laden protegés; as Kristof put it, these Islamists "are trying to build things rather than blow them up." The article that this quote comes from, although over a month old, is one of the best analyses of what Egypt's future holds (at least in my opinion).

     There are bound to be hiccups for post-revolutionary Egypt. Our revolution was plenty messy; can we expect anything different from Egypt's? Although we don't know what the future holds, I remain hesitantly optimistic.

First post

     I just decided to start blogging. How cliché. With the millions of blogs out there, it seems kind of pointless in some ways. I'm not sure if I'll make any sort of dent in the blogging world. But I guess that's not important.

     The main reason I decided to start is an odd one: I want people to criticize me. I like writing, and I plan on doing it a lot, so I'd better get good at it. The only way to do that, really, is to let people have at me. So feel free.