Egypt Monday: The Son of the Shah and Dan Rathers

Monday was a day of violence.  There are videos of some military units firing into the crowd to keep them under control.  As of yet, there has not been widescale clashes with the army, who the people still believe to be on their side.  Tanks have been deployed to the pyramids and the soldiers there claim that they are still open to tourists.  A "Million-Man March" is planned for Cairo tomorrow, solidifying support for the protesters there.  Soldiers had a much more noticeable presence in the streets, closing off certain routes into the city.  This may cause trouble for the march tomorrow. 

Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the exiled Shah of Iran, appeared on CNN to give his thoughts on Egypt.

He is very sympathetic to the Egyptian people, who offered his family asylum after they fled Iran.  He also respects President Mubarak, who made it easy for his family to visit his father’s tomb, who is interred in Egypt.  He hopes that Mubarak will use this as an opportunity to move his country forward with democratization by giving power to his people.

He said what is happening in Egypt and Tunisia is the beginning of a new era.  “If there was an era of rule by a foreign policy and an era where one man ruled the country, then shouldn’t there be an era with rule by the people?”

“To avoid a situation where the radicals take power, one must provide aid to the people and assist them.  This way, the radicals will be pushed to the outside.  If you do not do this, however, then they will turn to the radicals for results.”

Pahlavi also praised the strength of internet media like Facebook and Twitter for allowing the youth of the world under oppressive regimes access to the rest of the global community.  Even in places like China, where there is extensive government methods to block access, the youth find ways around the filters, using American and European proxy-servers to get out and make their voices known.

Following the exiled-Prince on CNN was senior newsman Dan Rathers.

When asked if there was a chance of tomorrow’s Million-Man March becoming a Tianneman Square massacre, Rathers said it was not expected. Egypt’s army is the pride of the Egyptian people.  It is a conscript army, so the soldiers in it are normal people.  It wouldn’t turn this into a bloodbath.  He was quick to add the disclaimer: no one can know what is going to happen at this point.

Rather’s went on to say that Mubarak has been great for the US and Israel, but he hasn’t been great for his people.  This is a grass roots movement, from the bottom.  He said the uprising is the cumulative effect of the daily insults to the young people: the police officer looking for a bribe that kicks over a fruit stand.

Mabarak came in to power as a very modest, almost humble, “believing he could do the right thing for Egypt, and for the early part he did.”  But, power seems to have corrupted.  He became a dictator as time went along. “There are different kinds of dictators. We have had all kinds of dictators that we have supported over the years,” he said.  “The US wants to stand by their friends, but at the same time we want to do what is right for the Egyptian people.”

Rathers said he does not envy the position that President Obama is in, but if he was in his shoes, he would quietly tell Mubarak that it is over, but the US would do what they could to do right by him.