Yes, it's revolution in Egypt
CAIRO - "Mubarak, Mubarak, your plane awaits" was the cry echoing through the crowds in Tahrir Square as the aging dictator of Egypt clung tenaciously to power, albeit with a grip that grows weaker by the hour. On Sunday morning, the city seemed firmly in the hands of the demonstrators.
The hated security police have all but vanished from the streets, only to re-emerge in rumors and accusations that they are being a spate of looting, random violence and an attack on the Cairo National Museum. Armed citizens' groups have begun forming to respond to any disorder.
Many businesses in the capital stayed closed at the start of the working week and Internet access remains patchy. There is a vacuum of authority in the city, though the demonstrators have formed a strong bond of friendship with the army, amid scenes reminiscent of the popular people's revolutions in Eastern Europe during the fall of the communist bloc in 1989-90. Protesters have climbed onto tanks and armored vehicles around the square, with soldiers greeting them warmly.
COMMENT: Foreign visitors have been heading for Cairo airport in increasing numbers to flee the turmoil, but it is a low-key orderly withdrawal with no hint of panic.
Our business associates in Cairo say that while companies are making contingency plans and reviewing their evacuation procedures, they are staying put until it become more clear what direction the revolution will take.
Most experts are betting on an initial transfer to an orderly interim administration, which would satisfy the immediate demands of the protesters and give a breathing space for a new Egyptian order to emerge.
The hated security police have all but vanished from the streets, only to re-emerge in rumors and accusations that they are being a spate of looting, random violence and an attack on the Cairo National Museum. Armed citizens' groups have begun forming to respond to any disorder.
Many businesses in the capital stayed closed at the start of the working week and Internet access remains patchy. There is a vacuum of authority in the city, though the demonstrators have formed a strong bond of friendship with the army, amid scenes reminiscent of the popular people's revolutions in Eastern Europe during the fall of the communist bloc in 1989-90. Protesters have climbed onto tanks and armored vehicles around the square, with soldiers greeting them warmly.
COMMENT: Foreign visitors have been heading for Cairo airport in increasing numbers to flee the turmoil, but it is a low-key orderly withdrawal with no hint of panic. Our business associates in Cairo say that while companies are making contingency plans and reviewing their evacuation procedures, they are staying put until it become more clear what direction the revolution will take.
Most experts are betting on an initial transfer to an orderly interim administration, which would satisfy the immediate demands of the protesters and give a breathing space for a new Egyptian order to emerge.

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