Today is the first anniversary of the Egyptian people's revolution. So much has happened since those euphoric beginnings--so many turns and shifts. We are now poised on a tipping point, it seems, and many believe that the future of the revolution is uncertain. Others, however, are aware of the inevitable difficulties of such revolutionary transitions, suffered historically by every nation that has remade itself successfully in the end.
Two Egyptian-born individuals, whom we give ourselves the privilege of calling friends of the EAO, have expressed their opinions (shared by this writer) in their commentaries published on the occasion of this anniversary.
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Ahdaf Soueif:
A revolution is a process, not an event. . . . And, as you know, our Egyptian revolution is ongoing. . . .
Well, there are many bad possibilities. But there are more good ones. I believe that optimism is a duty – if people had not been optimistic on 25 January, and all the days that followed, they would not have left their homes or put their vulnerable human bodies on the streets. Our revolution would not have happened. "The Arab Spring: One Year On." Read the full article in The Guardian, 13 January 2012.
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Mohamed El- Erian:
What Egyptians are experiencing today is not new; it is familiar to many countries that have gone through a fundamental systemic change. . . . [Revolutions] are dynamic processes that must navigate a number of critical pivot points. . . . Some contend that Egypt will not be able to undertake this shift. . . . I think that they misunderstand what is fundamentally at play in the country today. . . . Egyptians will not settle for an incomplete revolution – not now, and especially not after all of the sacrifices that have been made. . . . Completing their revolution will not be an easy, quick, or smooth process, but it will happen. . . . Any attempt to divert this legitimate process will be met by millions of Egyptians taking to the streets in protest. Make no mistake: Egyptians are committed to completing their impressive revolution, and they will. "Egypt's Unfinished Revolution Will Succeed." Read the full article in Project Syndicate. January 2012.
We will honor the "Spirit of Tahrir" at a special luncheon at UCLA on Sunday, January 29. For more details, please go to:
http://eaojan25.eventbrite.com/
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Egyptian American Report |
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