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It seems just a few days ago (and actually was just a few) that I did
a post on Cairo Time, talking about Egypt. Well events have simply
quickened in that country along the Nile. And while it is not my
habit to make comments about the internal business of other
countries (unless I really, really feel like it), I was reminded of
a historical anecdote I read about in Barbara Tuchman's great
book, A Distant Mirror.
In the late 14th century, in order to finance his continuing wars
with England, Charles V of France (then acting Regent of the country
with the absence of King John II) raised taxes and devalued the
currency to get more money for the war. Charles was finally forced
into an agreement with the Estates General regarding taxes. But
the compromise was rejected by King John in absentia.
A rebellion ensued. Members of the Guilds (tradesman and business
owners) tried to stage a coup. And, according to Tuchman, even had
the dauphin tied to a chair at one point. Charles seemed contrite
and made all sorts of promises, and the rebels released him.
Charles fled Paris. He made no attempt to live up to his promises.
In fact the only thing that came out of the rebellion was the arrest
of the ring leaders.
Which teaches a good lesson: Just because you have the king tied to
a chair doesn't mean he's going to suddenly change his spots.
Sadly, it would take a full-blown revolution and a guillotine to change
matters much — and that only 400 years later.
Seriously, there's a pretty fair chance that something messy is going to happen around Europe in the next couple of years. Again. People are getting restless and angry. France, Italy, Greece, even places in Germany. It's this socalled financial crisis. We all know now that it only happened because our politicians let it happen. And now we are angry. Same thing happening in your part of the woods, so I've heard. Times for changes.This thing in Egypt is a part of this, I believe.
I blame the rich people. :pViva la revolution!:DInteresting slant on Europe, though. Thanks for your thoughts!
@ Star.You know I heard an interesting new word the other day — "revolution technology". Meaning cell phones, texting, the email and the internet. The cell phone/text one is particularly difficult for a government to shut down given all that depends on that these days. Technology becoming a weapon in revolution. People can instantaneously communicate and text each other — "cops outside the Ministry building, meet at the Agriculture Ministry instead, 9:00." We always talked about the technological revolution. I guess nobody thought that it could be the other way around also.
I've heard a lot of people say that the internet is pretty much useless, or evil, or whatever. Wouldn't it be cool if the internet actually saved us?!:D
This is happening all over the place right now. It seems like all the people in the world are just flat-out tired of oppression, be it political, religious, financial, or of whatever type. And each new powderkeg explosion encourages the next one, especially those that are successful, but even those that aren't so successful.People are fed up.
I think it'd be great if anything would bring us all together — barring a totalitarian world goverment or aliens harvesting us for food, which wouldnt be good.The people of the world are certainly a lot closer to each other because of technology, for good or for ill.
It's going to be interesting to see what happens in the rest of the Middle East and North Africa after this. Not to mention other countries with autocratic governments. When humans are involved, nothing ever stays the same for a long time (400 year periods in France excepted, of course!) :DGreat post, Ed.
@ Richard.Yes, it will be.You know what I couldn't believe? Iran coming out in support of the demonstrators. How ironic is that? :p
Originally posted by gdare:
Well I will agree with one thing in that, there are usually multiple vectors influencing any historical situation.In terms of my own country, I think that the U.S. is trying to have their cake and eat it too — mainly because of the constant baby-sitting job with Israel that has been going on since the 1940s. We got fed up with a king and picked up muskets to get rid of him. But with Egypt — well, we are in my view very hypocritical. Well — peace be unto you…Thanks for your thoughts also.:up:
I have another theory about things happening in Middle East and North Africa but I`m afraid it would sound as conspiracy theory now. So I won`t elaborate more than this: saying that people are fed enough of some system/government/dictator so they raised against it, has not much sense at all to me. The fact is, that never happened like that. There is always more behind a scene.I feel sorry for people who are suffering there now. They are beaten, arrested and tortured for their ideals by the people who also believe they are defending the right thing. But they are all just figures in big kings chess party…
Revolution is revolution. It will never happen without an uprising of the people. You can always speculate about the origin of the 'wave' – who instigated the uprise and who fed it and watched it grow? Vectors, yeah. Conspiracies, yeah. Bottom line: dictators they come and go, but the people stays, and there is still some truth in the old saying that we always get leaders we diserve. And just because CIA, the US Senate, the Zionists, the Bilderbergers and the Illuminati are running the show doesn't mean that we might as well stay in our beds and let it happen, does it?
Revolutuion is revolution. Well said. Nothing changes unless there is the will behind it…"It is by will alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of sapho that thoughts acquire speed, the lips acquire stains, the stains become a warning. It is by will alone I set my mind in motion."The mentat mantra from Dune, but there is a lot of truth behind it. Set the will, the mind follows, and things happen as a result.
There are and always have been evil people who seek to impose their will on others. And given that they use force and really only understand force, force must be used against them. I can't subscibe to the pacifist or passive line of thought. Revolution is sometimes necessary.
Originally posted by edwardpiercy:
The dead bodies in the mass grave, the burned down cathedral, the boy who lost his father and the mother who lost her sons are the same no matter if it was the CIA or the people's national front that animated the revolution. And forty years later the same thing again. And forty years later the same thing again.
I like a good revolution as anyone. But question is if the outcome are strengthened islamic brotherhoods.
@ Pineas.I suppose that if the populist uprising is successful that it could open the door for groups like Hamas. But you know, I can't see Egypt going the way of Lebanon. If they were going to do that they would have done it years ago — Mubarek or not. Egypt is Egypt. It will go it's own way, just like it always has — barring being forced into anything, like the Hykssos invasion. :p
Incidentally, there was finally a post out of Egypt on the situation as it pertains to archaeology in the country from Zahi Hawass, the chief minister for the department of Antiquities there (i.e. the head honcho archaeologist of the country). Egypt is almost overblessed with archeology, and under Hawass much of it in the way sites new and old have been getting excavated, renovated. There is no possible way they could protect all the sites there. But you can read about it from Hawass himself. If you read to the bottom you can see how he got this report out without the internet. The Situation in Egyptian Antiquities Today On Friday, January 28, 2011, when the protest marches began in Cairo, I heard that a curfew had been issued that started at 6.00pm on Friday evening until 7.00am on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, on that day the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, was not well guarded. About a thousand people began to jump over the wall on the eastern side of the museum into the courtyard. On the western side of the museum, we recently finished something I was very proud of, a beautiful gift shop, restaurant and cafeteria. The people entered the gift shop and stole all the jewellery and escaped; they thought the shop was the museum, thank God! However, ten people entered the museum when they found the fire exit stairs located at the back of it. As every one knows, the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, is naturally lit and due to the architectural style of it, there are glass windows on its roof. The criminals broke the glass windows and used ropes to get inside, there is a distance of four metres from the ceiling to the ground of the museum. The ten people broke in when I was at home and, although I desperately wanted to go to the museum, I could not leave my house due to the curfew. In the morning, as soon as I woke up, I went directly there. When I arrived, I found out that, the night before, three tourist police officers had stayed there overnight because they were not able to get out before the curfew was put in place. These officers, and many young Egyptians who were also there, helped to stop more people from entering the museum. Thankfully, at 10.00pm on Friday night, the army arrived at the museum and gave additional security assistance.I found out that one criminal was still at the museum, too. When he had asked the people guarding the museum for water, they took his hands and tied him to the door that lead to the gift shop so that he could not escape! Luckily, the criminals who stole the jewellery from the gift shop did not know where the jewellery inside the museum is kept. They went into the Late Period gallery but, when they found no gold, they broke thirteen vitrines and threw the antiquities on the floor. Then the criminals went to the King Tutankhamun galleries. Thank God they opened only one case! The criminals found a statue of the king on a panther, broke it, and threw it on the floor. I am very thankful that all of the antiquities that were damaged in the museum can be restored, and the tourist police caught all of the criminals that broke into it. On Saturday, the army secured the museum again and guarded it from all sides. I left the museum at 3.00pm on Saturday, 29, 2011.What is really beautiful is that not all Egyptians were involved in the looting of the museum. A very small number of people tried to break, steal and rob. Sadly, one criminal voice is louder than one hundred voices of peace. The Egyptian people are calling for freedom, not destruction. When I left the museum on Saturday, I was met outside by many Egyptians, who asked if the museum was safe and what they could do to help. The people were happy to see an Egyptian official leave his home and come to Tahrir Square without fear; they loved that I came to the museum.The curfew started again on Saturday afternoon at 4.00pm, and I was receiving messages all night from my inspectors at Saqqara, Dahsur, and Mit Rahina. The magazines and stores of Abusir were opened, and I could not find anyone to protect the antiquities at the site. At this time I still do not know what has happened at Saqqara, but I expect to hear from the inspectors there soon. East of Qantara in the Sinai, we have a large store containing antiquities from the Port Said Museum. Sadly, a large group, armed with guns and a truck, entered the store, opened the boxes in the magazine and took the precious objects. Other groups attempted to enter the Coptic Museum, Royal Jewellery Museum, National Museum of Alexandria, and El Manial Museum. Luckily, the foresighted employees of the Royal Jewellery Museum moved all of the objects into the basement, and sealed it before leaving.My heart is broken and my blood is boiling. I feel that everything I have done in the last nine years has been destroyed in one day, but all the inspectors, young archaeologists, and administrators, are calling me from sites and museums all over Egypt to tell me that they will give their life to protect our antiquities. Many young Egyptians are in the streets trying to stop the criminals. Due to the circumstances, this behaviour is not surprising; criminals and people without a conscience will rob their own country. If the lights went off in New York City, or London, even if only for an hour, criminal behaviour will occur. I am very proud that Egyptians want to stop these criminals to protect Egypt and its heritage.At this time, the Internet has not been restored in Egypt. I had to fax this statement to my colleagues in Italy for it to be uploaded in London on my website.Hawass is right — this type of thing happens every time there is political unrest, power failure, natural disaster, or even a victory of a local sports time in the Championship.
@ Dizzy.Ah yes, Russia. A whole can of worms there. The immigrated Russians I have known here in Spokane consider Putin to be "a thug" (their words); and they talk about "the disappeared." I had no idea.In terms of our government I think that there is a lot of hypocrisy there too, they are just so happy to have gotten rid of the Soviets that they don't much care who is in charge of Russia. In any case I wish you all well, and hope that things can move forward by more rational means before any other means have to be employed.
Originally posted by Aqualion:
In this part of the woods, where I is the same, if not worse, much worse. It's too big a country. But the most disgusting, we do not really know where it came from Putin. For us just submitted him to the new year as a surprise. Apparently for him , Yeltsin, someone made an offer from which he could not refuse. Who? An open question. Next couple of years, indeed, may chance that something messy is going to happen..
Hmmm. It took me about 5 hours to do it, but I have finally translated that word as "nut jugglers" — they juggle their balls?:D
Tak. We actually almost won the World Championship in handball yesterday. Hvidløgsjonglørerne (the French) snapped the cup right in front of our noses and our boys went home with only silver medals. Exciting game, actually, though I am not the greatest sportsfan.
Originally posted by edwardpiercy:
So do I. So do most Europeans. However, this is usually not how it moves forward in Europe… Except, of course, in the late eighties where a lot of good stuff started almost without violence, unless you consider the battering down of a certain wall and a few statues as violence. Normally, we'll see minority groups fighting each other, blowing up stuff and burning down houses until the national guard or some international gun club interferes and Hell breaks loose.
Held og lykke, Danmark!(Haven't used any Danish words here on the blog for about a year now — so I figured I was due. 😀 )
:lol:How do you pronounce Hvidløgsjonglørerne? Or maybe I should not ask :insane:
I like the juggle their balls thing better — accurate or not. :p
The correct translation would be 'garlic jugglers'. And there's no possible way for me to explain how it is pronounced.