Greece: What Can be Done?

By James Petras

"Introduction: Greece faces the unenviable choice between accepting the terms of “the Troika” and facing the continuation and deepening of a socio-economic crises, which includes five years of negative growth, over 23% unemployment, an astronomical rise in poverty (from less than 15% to over 40%) and mounting suicides, or a rejection of the “memorandum”, and a likely cut-off of Eurozone funding and capital markets with virtually few reserves to cover salaries, pensions or public services.....

Conclusion

SYRIZA has been raised to a serious contender for state power by the most devastating capitalist crises to affect a Western European country since WWII. It gained adherence through its dynamic grass roots organizing and the relative cohesion of its disparate components. It’s clear and forthright exposé of the corruption and pillage of the dominant parties and its image as a party with ‘clean hands’ has propelled it forward among a broad spectrum of classes, regions and generational groups. However, the very depth of the crises, the total pillage and emptying of the treasury by the kleptocratic political-business class and the dismantling of the entire productive sector and the transfer of billions of Euros abroad by the millionaire rentier class, has created an immensely difficult terrain from which to launch the necessary transformation. The new government can and must guarantee the sovereignty of the nation by rejecting imperial dictates and end any further degradation (“austerity”) of the Greek people. Emancipation requires that first and foremost the new leadership takes the lead in making sacrifices: cutting out all the perks of office, salaries and overseas commitments. The new social priorities demand severe cuts in military budgets – bases, NATO, arms purchases. The new leaders must tell the Euro-bankers to collect payments from the accounts of the overseas billionaires who borrowed, bled the country and are now sheltered in the same banks.
The Left must move from criticism to practical deeds; from theorizing to creating jobs! Greece with a new government can put an end to open-ended austerity and decay. It can and must change its place in the international economy. In the final analysis, it is Greece’s last best hope."

Brotherhood Vs Former Regime in Egypt Runoff

By Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani

"......Worryingly, Thursday’s constitutional court decision was coupled with a second ruling, which declared the law governing last year’s legislative polls to be similarly unconstitutional. The decision is likely to result in the dissolution of Egypt’s Islamist-led parliament, throwing the country’s post-revolution political scene into further confusion.

“Whichever candidate wins the presidency, there’s little doubt that the coming period will be marked by a degree of political volatility unseen in Egypt’s recent history,” said Maher.

He added: “The victory of either candidate will certainly be met with another wave of mass demonstrations, especially if Shafiq – a symbol of the regime we just got rid of – wins the country’s highest office.”"

Al-Jazeera Video: Absence of 'revolutionary fervor' in Egyptian polls

"Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh, reporting from Cairo, says that though there has been "brisk voting" in the second day of Egypt's presidential runoff, the "revolutionary fervor ... has all but disappeared".

Additionally, our correspondent says this round of the vote pitting Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate against Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister under Hosni Mubarak, has been plagued with rumours "compared to a relatively calmer first round" last month."

The next battle will take longer than 18 days

Issandr El Amrani
Al-Masry Al-Youm
Sun, 17/06/2012

"........This may be unpopular to say, but a good part of the blame for the lack of a clear idea of what the revolution is lies with the revolutionaries themselves. Some seem to be content with constant attempts to recreate the mood of those magical 18 days in Tahrir Square, but any recent visit to the square tells another story. The revolution was not the occupation of the square itself, but the act of taking it and routing security forces in order to do so. If you’re allowed to retake the square anyway, if it becomes a dedicated protest zone like the steps of the Journalists Syndicate once were, it’s hardly a transgressive measure anymore.

The revolutionaries also failed to define what it was they wanted from this revolution, and to sell this idea to the wider population that, most of the time, is not interested in protests and marches. To recapture the imagination of the population, to take their rivals off-balance once again, the revolutionaries have to strike where it’s least expected, and in a manner that is novel. The next battle might not be won in public squares, but in courts, in Parliament, in activism that takes place in dirty alleyways and isolated villages, and in the field of ideas and civil society, with humility and perseverance. And it’s going to take a lot longer than 18 days."

What went wrong in Egypt?

For a revolution to succeed, it takes more than elections, and more than popular support, for a break with the past.

A GOOD COMMENT
By Marwan Bishara
Al-Jazeera

"Cairo, Egypt - Egypt is holding presidential elections in amid a constitutional, political and economic mess.

Once elected, it is not clear who will swear in the new president, or what authority the new leader will have - these powers are yet to be defined in the new permanent constitution. Many are asking what happened to the promise of change.

It is complicated, to say the least. There is no simple answer as to how or why, after a breath-taking revolution, Egypt is stuck, once again polarised between the military and the Muslim Brotherhood.

And today, Egyptians find themselves obliged to choose between a new version of the old regime and what many fear to be the coming of Islamist rule.

Indeed, speaking to people here, one gets the impression that many Egyptians are voting not for a preferred candidate but against the other.

In other words, many of those who will put either Mohamed Morsi or Ahmed Shafiq on top are doing so not out of conviction in their vision or agenda. Many Morsi voters want to ensure that the old regime doesn't come back with a vengeance, and many Shafiq voters want to prevent the Islamists from taking over the state.

More than a few revolutionaries blame others for the country's predicament. In reality, the revolution wasn't simply "stolen", it was mostly surrendered.

A mixture of youthful naivete and Islamist overreach allowed the old regime to recover its force, unify its assets and move centre-stage once again.

Just as the revolution imploded, the old regime consolidated.

Competition and convergence

The revolution was totally united against dictatorship and in favour of freedom and social justice.
But as soon as it succeeded in ousting Hosni Mubarak and his inner circle in spring 2011, there emerged contradictory interpretations as to what the revolution's slogans meant or entailed.

Short-sighted, the revolutionaries soon split as they rushed to compete in general elections without finishing what they started, the most important element of which was agreeing a new constitution.

The challenge for the revolution hasn't been to change Mubarak but to change the regime. Or, as I put it then: the central question facing Egypt is not who will replace Mubarak but what will replace his regime.

Be that as it may, what started as a unified revolution soon imploded and splintered into Islamists, nationalists, liberals and leftists and more opportunists jostled for influence.

As the revolutionaries and their allies bickered, bragged and drifted, the two pillars of the old regime - divided by the ousting of Mubarak - the military and the old political establishment - began to recover, converge and consolidate their efforts once again.

The so-called "deep state" that comprises the institutions, elites, and businesses that profited from the Mubarak administration began to recover their common voice and influence during the military-managed transitional state.

Islamists' takeover of more than two-thirds of the parliament gave the military and the old bureaucracy the needed scare to unite their forces against the revolution. And once again, the youth found themselves alienated and isolated.

The military and the old bureaucracy deployed all their assets, including those in big business, the judiciary, and security forces to undermine the revolution and undo much of what has transpired since spring 2011, including dissolving the elected parliament and reinstating emergency-like laws that allow for extraordinary arrests and imprisonment of activists, as witnessed in the first day of voting, against supporters of the April 6 movement.

Indeed, much of the political and electoral process and all the regulations imposed this year have been managed by SCAF and forces from the old regime, whether in the interior ministry, the security forces or the judiciary.

Revolutionaries who hoped they could create revolutionary change by playing by the rule of the regime and within the old system have since been "lost in transition".

SCAF vs SCRF

There's nothing unexpected in what the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is doing. Anyone who thought the military would just roll over and return to the barracks is dangerously naive.

As I wrote at the beginning of the revolution, much of the adulation for the generals was either misplaced or exaggerated. The brass saw the writing on the wall, understood change was coming to Egypt, and moved to get rid of Mubarak in order to safeguard their own influence.

The generals saw an opportunity in removing an ailing dictator to renew and reinforce their role in the post-Mubarak political vacuum. They have too much at stake in the state, its institution and economy to step aside. That's their world and what they know best in the absence of war.

What is utterly incomprehensible is why a successful revolution didn't finish the job by creating the necessary circumstances for a second republic. That meant no less than creating a unified Supreme Council of the Revolutionary Forces (SCRF) to manage the political transition in the country with the support of the public squares. Then, the revolution would have enjoyed wide popular domestic support and unprecedented international sympathy.

Has the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood been too ambitious and opportunistic? Have the youth been too naive to let go of their accomplishments and abandon the squares too early? Perhaps. What is clear is that decades of dictatorship and one-party rule don't just evaporate because the powers that be lost the first or second round to the people they long treated unworthy of government.

For a revolution to succeed, it takes more than wide popular support for a break with the past. It also takes more than elections. It requires translating the control of the streets and public squares into people's control over the pillars of the state."

Al-Jazeera Video: Inside Story - Egypt's troubled transition

"The latest twists and turns of Egypt's troubled transition since the fall of Hosni Mubarak 16 months ago have left many wondering where the country is heading next. A cloud of uncertainty now hangs over its political future after two decisions handed down on Thursday - ahead of a scheduled run-off election to choose the new president this weekend. The Muslim Brotherhood has warned that Egypt's fragile democratic gains are under threat after a court ruling that dissolved the religious-dominated parliament. The Supreme Constitutional Court has also upheld the right of Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister in Hosni Mubarak's government, to run for president. It leaves Egypt with no parliament and concentrates power even more firmly in the hands of the generals who took over from Mubarak. So, where does this leave Egypt's transition to democracy? And what is left of the Egyptian revolution?"

Al-Jazeera Video: Update: Egypt presidential runoff vote under way

The Price is Right, by Mike Luckovich

Egypt: dangerous tricks

Manoeuvring on the eve of the second round of the election has created the risk of fresh confrontations and uncertainties

Editorial
The Guardian, Friday 15 June 2012

"The Egyptian military and security establishment has not been a steady, skilled, or unbiased manager of the political process in the almost year and a half of post revolutionary ups and downs the country has endured. Its manoeuvring on the eve of the second round of voting in the presidential election risks creating fresh confrontations and uncertainties.

Whether or not it is the case, few in Egypt seem to believe that the decisions to dissolve parliament and to give the police and armed forces wide-ranging powers of arrest are unrelated, or that they just happened in the normal course of the supreme constitutional court's deliberations or the defence ministry's planning processes. Coupled with the rigging which marked the first round of voting, and which is unlikely to be abandoned in the second, they point, many say, to a deliberate orchestration. It seems designed not only to ensure a victory for Ahmed Shafiq, the old regime's presidential candidate, but to undercut the power of the Muslim Brotherhood in the other institutions of the state, and to further marginalise the liberal and secular forces which carried so much of the burden of the revolution....."

Mohamed ElBaradei warns Egypt it is letting a 'new emperor' take over

Nobel laureate blames Muslim Brotherhood and revolutionary youth for letting the generals engineer coup

Jack Shenker in Cairo
guardian.co.uk, Friday 15 June 2012

"Egypt is suffering under worse conditions now than under Hosni Mubarak's dictatorship, Mohamed ElBaradei has told the Guardian, and it is on the brink of allowing a "new emperor" to establish total domination over the country.

He gave a withering assessment of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, which dominated the now defunct new parliamentary assembly and whose presidential candidate, Mohamed Morsi, will face a run-off against Mubarak's last prime minister in elections this weekend.

ElBaradei said political Islamists had tried to take "the whole cake" for themselves following the overthrow of Mubarak last February, and as a result Egypt's ruling generals had been able to engineer an assault on the revolution.

"We are in a total mess, a confused process that – assuming good intentions – has led us nowhere except the place we were at 18 months ago, but under even more adverse conditions," said the Nobel laureate, who withdrew from the presidential race this year arguing that a fair vote could not be held while the country remained in the grip of a military junta.

"We are going to elect a president in the next couple of days without a constitution and without a parliament. He will be a new emperor, holding both legislative and executive authority and with the right to enact laws and even amend the constitution as he sees fit."......

ElBaradei, a former UN nuclear weapons inspector turned prominent Egyptian dissident, predicted Ahmed Shafiq – Mubarak's last prime minister and the man seen by many as an embodiment of the old regime – would emerge victorious from the poll.

"Shafiq as president of the 'new Egypt' is an oxymoron," said the 69-year-old. "In this scenario the new president would be backed by Scaf and political authority in the country will continue to be held by Scaf, but I think it most likely that he is the one that is going to win.".......

....... with his harshest words reserved for the Muslim Brotherhood – whose role in the past year's "transition process" has led many pro-change activists to blame political Islamists for empowering the military and being sucked into an electoral game designed to give the old regime a façade of democratic legitimacy.

......... And that created a backlash, which will be visible in the next couple of days. People have called on them to withdraw from the presidential race, but they insist on going forward – why?" ......."

Egypt to vote, but will there be democracy?

Joseph Mayton
Bikya Masr
16 June 2012

"CAIRO: Egyptians are heading back to the polls to elect the country’s first post-uprising president on Saturday, but with no parliament, no constitution and a military junta seemingly taking complete control of the country, fears are mounting that the entire democratic process, which began with the now voided parliamentary elections in November, are a sham.

Activists say the two candidates, Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi, and ousted and jailed President Hosni Mubarak’s last Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, offer little hope to a revolution that has seen change stifled by the military power that took control of the country on February 11, 2011.

“What are we supposed to do, just wait and hope that the situation gets better?” asked Mona Radwan, an activist who said she plans to void her ballot as part of a campaign to not acknowledge either candidate as viable for the future of Egypt.

“It is the right thing to do. We cannot be part of this sham that is looking like a military coup,” she told Bikyamasr.com.

Others agree, with calls for a boycott gaining steam in the past 48 hours since the Supreme Constitutional Court dissolved parliament and allowed Shafiq to continue in the race, ruling that the “Azl” law, or political isolation, which bars former regime politicians from participating in politics, to be unconstitutional.......

Many leading political figures in the country have called Thursday’s moves a “military coup.”

Former presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh said on Thursday evening the moves by the military junta were an obvious military coup.

Leading opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei, who for months has called the entire election process without a constitution in place was a sham.

On Thursday, after the court threw the future of Egypt into uncertainty, ElBaradei was quick to reiterate the point, while also warning against dictatorship, alluding to a potential Shafiq president.

“Electing president without constitution or parliament means pres has powers unreached by most notorious dictatorships,” he said in response to the court verdict.

And with an election to vote for the country’s first post-revolution president, to give their oath of office to the military, on Saturday and Sunday, uncertainty seems to reign over Egypt at the present moment."

Egyptian Presidential Elections: A Prediction

A BRIEF COMMENT
BY TONY SAYEGH

(Scroll down for more new posts)

I am going to go out on a limb and make a prediction on the eve of the Egyptian presidential elections.

After connecting the dots for a while it became abundantly clear that SCAF was still in full control in Egypt and was playing a very smart game.

Also, taking the sum total of the actions and inaction of the Muslim Brothers, it became equally clear that they are opportunists, politically gullible and should not be trusted.

The decisions of the Egyptian "Constitutional" Court yesterday was a checkmate move by SCAF and was meant to ensure only one thing: the "election" of a new Pharaoh, Ahmed Shafiq.

Other decisions by SCAF, including that it will be in charge of writing a new "constitution" and its re imposition of the emergency law under a different name, giving the military the power to arrest protesters, are steps to tighten the grip on power and to prepare for the next phase of the revolution.

A new "elected" Pharaoh is much more dangerous than the old Pharaoh because he will have been "legitimately elected," unlike the old Pharaoh.

The right thing to do would have been for the Muslim Brothers to boycott the elections in the next two days and to protest this coup by SCAF. That would have left Shafiq exposed and would have shown the elections to be a sham, just like those under the old Pharaoh.

But, true to form, the Brothers miscalculated again and put their narrow and selfish interests above all else, and decided to play ball. Just as the Brothers miscalculated in all of their previous moves, and as a result lost about half of their support, this move could prove fatal for this movement.

Make no mistake about it, SCAF and Shafiq are not taking any chances and they know the results of this coming round of "elections" in advance. He is already speaking as if he is the president. One way or another Shafiq will be "elected." The Muslim Brothers are being used as a stage prop to give the appearance of legality and legitimacy to this unfolding fraud.

SCAF has prepared the ground work and the troops will use full force to suppress the expected massive protests against the new Pharaoh.

The Muslim Brothers should never be forgiven for their dishonest betrayal of the revolution and for making this possible.

I can already read the headlines after the declaration of a Shafiq win. The Brothers will declare that they are ready to work with the new Pharaoh, since he was "fairly" elected. They have made similar declarations before welcoming the old Pharaoh and pledging to work with him.

Assad will breathe a sigh of relief at death of Arab Spring

The 1991 Algerian parallel is relevant: a poll won by Islamists, special powers for the army, torture

By Robert Fisk

"......And the Brotherhood – as uninvolved in Tahrir as Ahmed Shafik – moved in to take over after years of clandestinity and government torture. Mubarak's men and the Brotherhood were never represented in Tahrir. "All we want is for Mubarak to go," the young of Egypt used to shout. And that was all. Easy for the "deep state" to resolve. Almost all the top "Stasi" officers were acquitted. The police murderers are still at work. These men are happy with this latest instalment in Egypt's tragedy.

The 1991 Algerian parallel is all too relevant. A democratic poll which the Islamists won, suspension of second-round elections, emergency laws that give the army special powers, torture, the round-up of elected members, savage guerrilla war – give and take a slight variation, only the last two have not yet begun in Egypt. But Algeria was less preposterous: le pouvoir had staged a coup and all who opposed it were "terrorists". This process has also begun in Cairo. The army has been given powers of arrest. These powers are meant to be used.

In Egypt, the holding of a presidential election when the parliamentary power base of one of the candidates, Mohamed Morsi (the Brotherhood) has been dissolved by the supporters of his opponent, Shafik, before the final presidential poll is ridiculous......

Desperate days, then. But one thing to remember. The Mubarak-appointed Egyptian judges didn't just get up on Thursday morning and decide to dissolve parliament. This was decided a long time ago. So was the retention of military power.

There will be plans ready for this weekend. They may even know the election result. I dare not think what this means for Egypt. The Arab Spring may be dead (the Arab awakening less so). But the security establishment in Washington will be pleased...."

Current Al-Jazeera (Arabic) Online Poll

Do you believe that the rulings of the constitutional court in Egypt have decisively shifted the results of the election in favor of Ahmed Shafiq?

With over 1,100 responding, 62% said yes.

The True Face of Egypt’s Military

Revolution 2.0

A VERY GOOD PIECE
by ESAM AL-AMIN
CounterPunch

"The masks dropped. The cards are shown.

For over a year, Egyptians have wondered who was leading the efforts to frustrate and obliterate their nascent revolution, or what was dubbed in the local media as the “third party” or the “hidden bandit.”

But the mystery is no more.

It was none other than the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), the same body that took power from deposed president Hosni Mubarak under the guise of leading the transitional period towards democracy. It was a masterful work of political art....

Disappointed, yet again, with the MB’s attitude to ignore their consensus, most of the revolutionary groups have vowed to press on with their revolution that has been deeply, but not yet gravely, wounded. Former presidential candidate Dr. Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, a favorite among many revolutionary and youth groups, has declared that the latest decisions by the High Court allowing the candidacy of Shafiq and the dissolution of parliament were nothing short of a soft coup d’état orchestrated by the military. He called for the immediate establishment of a revolutionary leadership council comprised of all pro-revolution groups and leaders to challenge the military hold on power and Shafiq’s inevitable presidency.

Sensing these threats dozens of such groups that have sacrificed so much since the early days of the revolution, have vowed to join in and continue the difficult struggle to dislodge the military and achieve the main objective of the revolution in establishing a true democratic civil state and ending the culture of the deep security state. Thousands have taken to the streets, while hundreds started a sit-in in Tahrir Square.

They now quietly admit that a hard lesson has been learned. This time their slogan is not “the people and the army are one.” Rather their cry is: “This time we are serious, we will not leave it (the revolution) to anyone.”"

A Judicial Coup in Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood-Controlled Parliament Dissolved, Military Gains Power

Democracy Now!


"Days before Egypt’s presidential runoff, the Egyptian Supreme Court has dissolved the newly elected parliament, handing power back to the military. The court also confirmed Hosni Mubarak’s former prime minister, Ahmed Shafik, can run for president against Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi. Protests have erupted in Egypt, with critics saying the decision is tantamount to a judicial coup. We go to Cairo for an update from Democracy Now! correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous. "These court rulings have really dealt the final fatal blow to a military-managed transitional process that’s been so deformed as to barely make sense anymore," he says. "Right now Egypt is in a state where there’s no parliament, no constitution or even a clear process for drafting one, and a presidential runoff that will leave Egypt with a ruler who will be a very divisive president."......"

Al-Jazeera Video: Wael Abbas reacts to court decision to dissolve parliament

"Wael Abbas a journalist and human rights activist, and one of Egypt's most well known bloggers gives his reaction on the constitutional crisis in Egypt."

Al-Jazeera Video: Update: Mike Hanna reports on the latest from Egypt

"Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna report on the latest as protestors are preparing for a mass rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square a day before elections to replace ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood is warning of a threat to democracy after a consitutional court dissolved the country's first democratically elected parliament."

Al-Jazeera Video: UN observers find 'ghost town' in Syria

"The road to Haffa, once a town of 24,000 people and popular with tourists, is now empty with most of the people gone. Left are burnt-out cars, bombed buildings, and according to the United Nations observers, a stench of dead bodies.

The UN had been trying to get into Haffa for a week, amid fears of a brutal assault by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

What observers found was evidence of a recent battle, and a strong Syrian army presence.

Al Jazeera's Dominic Kane reports."

Women Targeted in Tahrir Square

By Mel Frykberg

"CAIRO, Jun 15 2012 (IPS) - It is becoming increasingly uncomfortable to be female or foreign in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, birthplace of the January 2011 Egyptian revolution.

A wave of sexual assaults against female protestors and foreign female journalists by mobs of men, some armed with sticks and belts, has taken place in the last few weeks in broad public view.

An American photographer witnessed a Danish woman being seriously sexually assaulted as she was dragged into a building on Tahrir Square by a group of men. Other Egyptian men who tried to come to her aid were attacked. An AP reporter witnessed another foreign woman being attacked similarly.

Several veiled Muslim women had their hijabs pulled off and were sexually molested. The men involved tried to remove more clothing.

“Don’t go there you will be attacked, there are many bad men here,” a young man warned this reporter. “I saw a foreign woman being stripped here the other night.”...."