Mideast (and more) roundup

[rm]

Egypt: You're up on that, right? And hey, Amr Moussa just resigned as head of the Arab League. Looks like he'll be running in the Egyptian elections when they happen.

Algeria: Ramping up police presence in preparation for Saturday protests.

Iran: Blocking BBC signals so residents can't see footage of Egypt.

Bahrain: Offered payments of $2,600+ to all families in appeasement effort. I told you Bahrain was nervous.

Syria: Useful AJE analysis here - http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/02/201129103121562395.html

Tunisia: Things there are still very fraught. That situation is very much ongoing despite initial ousters.

Saudi Arabia: I've got nothing other than for the first time I'm hearing analysts with a clue saying revolution is possible there in light of this.

Libya: Celebrations in the street for Egypt.

Gaza: Celebrations in the street for Egypt.

China: Has blocked Internet searches on Egypt.


If you've got more, add in comments.

Comments

[xtricks.livejournal.com]

It's going to be nightmarishly bizarre if several countries change hands and we end up with a republican president next cycle. With the extreme way the republicans are swinging, someone's going to want to play the big American bully and I doubt the new governments in the mid-east are going to go for that.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

Beeb: #
1939: The BBC's Rana Jawad in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, says: "It has been a long and surreal day for many here, who keenly watched events unfold in neighbouring Egypt on their television screens. But it was not on national news broadcasters that they relied on - Libyan state TV waited for almost an hour to mention the announcement on the ticker at the bottom of the screen. The reaction has mostly been one of excitement, but at times accompanied by a degree of bewilderment at the speed of the developments in Egypt, and caution over what is to come after. All this expressed in private or on social networking sites like Facebook. However the key message from the Libyan public is that they are proud of their neighbours. The Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, has so far remained silent over developments in Egypt, so too have most officials here, though it is believed the majority are unhappy that two long-serving heads of state have been ousted by popular protests so far this year. Col Gaddafi has been in power for 41 years."

I'd be interested to see what AJE have to say on that.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the Lybian angle. I've been wondering.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I really wish the News would stop bringing up the Israel angle as being uber important. Likely, it's way low on the priorities when it comes to rebuilding the government...

[gypsylady.livejournal.com]

Saudi Arabia: I've got nothing other than for the first time I'm hearing analysts with a clue saying revolution is possible there in light of this.

My heart will sing if this happens. That would be something of a repudiation of Shari'a law, and I'd like to see Faux Snooze spin that since SA is one of our closest allies in the region...and it has nothing to do with Israel.

For anyone who is worried about Israel,stop it. This is a pretty much secular revolution in Egypt, with the result that it's likely the new government will continue to honor the Camp David agreements. Score one (more) for Jimmy Carter's foreign policy savvy.

[therealycats.livejournal.com]

China: Has blocked Internet searches on Egypt.

I don't know why I'm surprised, but this still saddens me.

[adelheid-p.livejournal.com]

A friend posted some video to FB of Egyptian students celebrating on the street near the University of Pittsburgh and cars are driving by and honking in support. Not really news, but I thought I'd share.

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

Wanting to vent: I've run into my first person who's wondering if the whole Egypt thing was staged. *seethes* Someone I'm fond of but who's become more of a conspiracy theorist. I won't identify the person beyond that. I don't know what the hell to SAY about that beyond "What the hell?!"