Egyptian Crisis 1

8/13/2019 Egyptian Crisis 1

1/8

The scent of jasmine has spread, and with the incredible drama that

accomanied the unfolding of the crisis in Egypt, its reverberations are

being felt around the world. Historical parallels aboundfrom the

Shahs Tehran to Deng Xiaopings Beijing. From Tunisia to Jordan,the blood of the people is up. Reactions to the situation within the

region all constitute the same degree of fear and panic, with countries

likeJordanreplacing its government in reaction to the protests on its

own streets.

While theUnited Statesand theEuropean Union,both with heavy

investments in Egypt, understandably pushed for a transition to a

more broad-based, democratic government, the reaction from two of

the largest rising powers in the world was a little more unpredictable.

China and India have both reacted in very different ways to the crisis

in Egypt. For China, the Lotus Revolution, as it is known, resurrects

rather unpleasant memories of the Tiananmen killings in 1989, not to

mention the cyber-eruption the Party faced over its reaction to the

awarding of theNobel Peace Prize to jailed dissident (and Tiananmen

leader) Liu Xiaobo.Therefore, its public reaction has, hitherto, been

careful and politically correct. In the only official commentary on the

uprising, the spokesman of Chinas Foreign Ministry, Hong

Lei, said:Egypt is a friend of China and we hope Egypt will return to

social stability and normal order as soon as possible.

While the statement itself is appropriate, the sentiments behind it are

not so nicely diplomatic. The memory of the bloodshed in TiananmenSquare in 1989 is not something the Chinese Communist Party is able

to put to rest. Though China suffered heavily in the aftermath

of Tiananmen in terms of reputation, trade and politics, the Chinese

Communist Party is still very much in power. Democracy is not a word

that is looked upon kindly in China, and given the recent furore, both

international and - over the internet - national, around Xiaobo, the

news of the events in Cairo can hardly be welcome. Add to thisthatinflation is set to rage throughout 2011,and that consequently the
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2/8

rich-poor divide in China will yawn even wider, it will not be easy to

discount the possibility, however faint, of a people power style

uprising.

No wonder, then, that themedia has immediately been gagged.All

Chinese editors have been told by the Chinese Communist Partys

(CCP) Propaganda Department that they can only use news

dispatches by the official Xinhua News Agency. Moreover, Netizens

and bloggers are not allowed to discuss Egypt in the Chinese

equivalents of Facebook or Twitter.Egypt-related keyword

searcheson various search engines such as Sina.com, Netease.com

and Weibo produce error messages instead. Meanwhile, the

administration has moved fast to divert any more attention from the

issue by speedily dispatching chartered flights to pick up

Chinese citizens stranded in Egyptian cities. A travel advisory has

been put up on the website of the Chinese embassy in Cairo, warning

citizens not to visit Egypt.

It is cyberspace that has Chinese authorities really worried. China,

which has the world's biggest online community with more than 475

million internet users, employs a vast censorship apparatus. While the

authorities no longer widely restrict access to outside

information, recently opening up blocked websites such as Wikipedia,

the government has voiced particular anxiety over the impact of social

media, restricting access to information-sharing websites like Twitter

and Facebook.The one medium of information that was not available

during 1989, the internet is now being used by millions of Chinese

citizens to express opinions that would otherwise go unheard. It is, in

other words, the biggest tool for political destabilization in the hands of

the countrys citizens. And in this, Egypt is a exemplary -

revolutionaries in Cairo spread the seeds of the revolution using

Twitter and Facebook.

So, the state media is losing no time in demonizing the protests, anddecrying the motives behind them. Aneditorial in the official Global
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3/8

Timespointed out that Western-style institutions and norms ill-suited

the people of Africa and the Middle East, stating, Color revolutions

will not bring about real democracyIn general, democracy has a

strong appeal because of the successful models in the West. Butwhether the system is applicable in other countries is in question, as

more and more unsuccessful examples arise.

Yet a number of respected Chinese intellectuals have called attention

to the fact that irrespective of the element of outside interference,

there are similarities between China and Egypt regarding the multiple

grievances of the underclasses.Yuan Weishi, a historian at Sun Yat-

Sen University in Guangzhou, warns of the dire consequences of

ignoring calls for political reform. "The mainland public now have

strong awareness of their rights and they can never return to the old

days when they were subject to manipulation and had no rights to

voice their criticism," he says.

Chinas leaders are attempting to head off any potential social unrest

adopting a more personal approach when interacting with the people.

Both President Hu and Premier Wen have pledged to pay more

attention to the livelihood of the people,especially in times of

inflation.It remains to be seen, however, whether the CCPs

propaganda offensive, in addition to its time-tested carrot-and-stick

approach of mixing economic inducements for its citizens

with repressive measures, can keep the lid on now that the winds of

change are sweeping through the far reaches of Africa and the Middle

East.

India, however, has gone down another path altogether. Adopting a

far more cautious approach, New Delhi has stuck to refining its policy

as per the circumstances. While critics have argued that the

response, when it did come, was weak and overly guarded, India had

no choice but to watch and wait.
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4/8

As the largest democracy in the world, it was felt that New Delhi

should have been stronger in its approval for the protests in Cairo. But

a few compelling factors led the government to delay before

responding. Firstly, it had no idea how long the street protests couldbe sustained for. Secondly, no good would come of jumping the

gun and openly opposing Mubarak, especially if he survived. Then

came the interests of India in Egyptto protect its huge diaspora and

$2 billion dollars worth ofinvestmentsin the country. So it was no

surprise that Indias statement by Foreign MinisterS.M.Krishna came

on the heels of US President Barack Obamas demand for a peaceful

transition to democracy in Egypt.

Since then, the swelling Egyptian uprising has prompted the Ministry

of External Affairs to rethink its outlook on the West Asia region as a

whole, an imperative in the light of Indiashigh level of

investments.More than 5.5 million Indians live and work in the

region- nearly 6,000 of whom live in Egypt - accounting for billions of

dollars inremittance payments.The region is also Indias main source

of energy, with two-way trade worth $110 billion, while many Indiansvisit the region for both tourism and pilgramages.

The impact of the revolution in Cairo is already producing economic

consequences, withthe Indian Economic Advisory Council warning of

a temporary increase in oil and commodity prices,leading to inflation

and a tightening of the countrys monetary policy. Indian consumer

firms such asMarico, Dabur and Asian Paints have already shut down

their Egyptian units.Statements issued from the firms said that the

longer the unrest lasted, the heavier the impact on business would be.

Foreign office officials are fervently hoping the situation does not boil

over, as India will face difficulties evacuating the thousands of its

citizens in Cairo and other cities. But perhaps of more concern for

domestic policy makers, intelligence experts have warned the

government that the Lotus Revolution could well havea copy-cat effect of sorts on the people of the troubled region of Jammu and
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5/8

Kashmir.Officials, though, feel the Gulf countries are less susceptible

to volatile street protests than others. The Gulf not only has a wider

resource base from its oil revenues to pacify dissent, it has shown

a propensity to coopt, rather than coerce voices of opposition. Inaddition, the Gulf is dominated by monarchies which are largely based

on strong tribal loyalties, thus imparting legitimacy to its rule and

providing elbow room to undertake political manoeuvres. This is

insofar as the Gulf is concerned. What will happen if the Lotus

Revolution does not come to the end so desperately desired by the

Egyptian people? For now, India prefers to watch and wait.

Setting the scene

Today the media is hailing it asThe End of an Eraand the rising

ofA New Dawn.The unique thing about the Egyptian Revolution is

that world media cannot deny nor ignore the raw achievement of the

people. This has meant that, surprisingly, most of outlets have seen

the uprising as a good thing.

While this article will take a step back to look at some of the subtleties

of recent coverage, there appears to have been a largely fair and

observant portrayal by the worlds media, with evenFox

Newsallowing a distinct tone of hopefulness to come through their

coverage.

Having said this, Egypt is at the centre of the world right now. Itsborder with Gaza, its position between the Middle East and Africa,

and now the social and world media concentration on the Revolution,

means that political players must be very careful in what they vocalise

about it, as must their media.

The Revolution holds a unique position. On one hand, the egyptian

people are fighting for what is essentially the cornerstone of the West

democracy. On the other, international interest in Israel and the
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Middle East, and the domino effect Egypt is having onAlgeria, Jordan

and Yemenmeans that this is a dangerous time for Western

governments.

In a recent lecture, globalisation and development expertJairo Lugo-

Ocandomade the observation that it appeared as though the Western

press were preparing to justify an upcoming attack on Egypt.

Whether it comes through accusations ofIran blocking media

coverageof the event, or CNNs curious focus onObamas diplomatic

difficulties,media coverage of the Egyptian Revolution will

undoubtedly produce countless studies which define the dialogue ofWestern media outlets and their governmental interests.

Western media

During initially lukewarm coverage, the words Egypt In Crisis (a stark

linguistic contrast to Al Jazeera Englishs Egyptian Revolution) have

been implanted on the bottom left hand corner of BBC viewersscreens.

This overriding title adds to the BBCs colonialist semantics of a failed

state, focusing on dictatorship and economic instability.

On the whole, the BBC celebrated the over-throw, providing a fair

picture of the journey the Egyptian people had madebut without

providing a suitable backdrop of context.

This goes against the essence of what the BBC is about, impartiality

is at its heart, and theimpartiality guidelinesinclude ensuring context

is supplemented to provide as complete a picture as possible.

The Emergency Lawand what it has actually meant for the Egyptian

people has been minimally discussed by the BBC. The BBC also,

somewhat predictably, shifted a space of their homepage to allow
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7/8

thevoice of Israel,asFox News has also done,and ofright-wing

politicians,which support Israels blockade of Gaza (heavily

supplemented by Mubarak) such as John Bolton, who has been

promoting his own agenda;If Mubarak falls in Egypt, Israel shouldbomb Iran.

In this case the BBC comes out better than most other British media

outletsit may arguably put a taint on the level of corruption the

Egyptians were fighting againstbut it has also let us see the right-

wing, capitalist, Western view in stark clarity.

The BBC website has again proved to be a valuable catalogue ofdissenting views - and presenting these together and against one

another allows us to directly question them.

The British press, on the other hand, was slightly more dissenting.

The spectrum of coverage allows one main intonation to be clear

the danger of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Murdochs empire celebrated on the surface with everyoneelse,butThe Timesseemed to be most weighted in providing official

source opinion about the need for international intervention.The Daily

Mailwas far more outspoken: Forget the Facebook idealist, they

cried, its the brotherhood the West should fear. Even

theGuardiandebated the potential Taliban treatment.

Its fair and important for the Western media to look into the potential

candidates for Egypts leadership. But the focus on fear, a language

of terror and evil which has laced the discourse of media for several

years, allows it to have a far greater impact than mere impartial

investigation.

Chris Hedges' (former New York Times journalist) recent observation

that,any real opening of the political system in the Arab worlds most

populated nation will see an empowering of these Islamic

movements,is undoubtedly a terrified undercurrent running through
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12338222http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12338222http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12338222http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/02/14/israel-fears-hostile-regime-egypt/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/02/14/israel-fears-hostile-regime-egypt/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/02/14/israel-fears-hostile-regime-egypt/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12400828http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12400828http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12400828http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12400828http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/01/bolton-israel-bomb-iran-mubarak-falls/http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/01/bolton-israel-bomb-iran-mubarak-falls/http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/01/bolton-israel-bomb-iran-mubarak-falls/http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/01/bolton-israel-bomb-iran-mubarak-falls/http://www.timesplus.co.uk/tto/news/?login=false&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thetimes.co.uk%2Ftto%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Fmiddleeast%2Farticle2907622.ecehttp://www.timesplus.co.uk/tto/news/?login=false&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thetimes.co.uk%2Ftto%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Fmiddleeast%2Farticle2907622.ecehttp://www.timesplus.co.uk/tto/news/?login=false&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thetimes.co.uk%2Ftto%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Fmiddleeast%2Farticle2907622.ecehttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1355725/Egypt-protests-Forget-Facebook-idealists-Brotherhood-fear.htmlhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1355725/Egypt-protests-Forget-Facebook-idealists-Brotherhood-fear.htmlhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1355725/Egypt-protests-Forget-Facebook-idealists-Brotherhood-fear.htmlhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1355725/Egypt-protests-Forget-Facebook-idealists-Brotherhood-fear.htmlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/08/egypt-muslim-brotherhood-uncoveredhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/08/egypt-muslim-brotherhood-uncoveredhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/08/egypt-muslim-brotherhood-uncoveredhttp://www.truthdig.com/report/item/what_corruption_and_force_have_wrought_in_egypt_20110130/http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/what_corruption_and_force_have_wrought_in_egypt_20110130/http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/what_corruption_and_force_have_wrought_in_egypt_20110130/http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/what_corruption_and_force_have_wrought_in_egypt_20110130/http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/what_corruption_and_force_have_wrought_in_egypt_20110130/http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/what_corruption_and_force_have_wrought_in_egypt_20110130/http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/what_corruption_and_force_have_wrought_in_egypt_20110130/http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/what_corruption_and_force_have_wrought_in_egypt_20110130/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/08/egypt-muslim-brotherhood-uncoveredhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1355725/Egypt-protests-Forget-Facebook-idealists-Brotherhood-fear.htmlhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1355725/Egypt-protests-Forget-Facebook-idealists-Brotherhood-fear.htmlhttp://www.timesplus.co.uk/tto/news/?login=false&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thetimes.co.uk%2Ftto%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Fmiddleeast%2Farticle2907622.ecehttp://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/01/bolton-israel-bomb-iran-mubarak-falls/http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/01/bolton-israel-bomb-iran-mubarak-falls/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12400828http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12400828http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/02/14/israel-fears-hostile-regime-egypt/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12338222


8/8

the British government's perception of the events in Egyptand this

will ultimately translate to the media.

Al Jazeera English

Al Jazeera English has provided extensive coverage, supplementing

their live footage with multiple opinions and outlooks. The one subtlety

of its media representation which could be picked upon is its straying

into non-objective journalism, by asking its journalists to describe their

personal feelings as young Egyptians themselves.

Though Im personally all for journalism of attachment, I fear that this

division from impartiality will only give ammunition to democratic

governments led by men who want to see the squashing of

multiculturalism.AJE talked to many people on the ground, so why

did they need to get their journalists to impound the sense of victory?

It spoke too loudly for an impartial news channel.

However, returning to issues of context, AJE is also one of the onlychannels to concentrate some coverage on the Palestinian Papers ,

and note the spontaneous bombing of Palestinian medical supplies by

Israelbombings which began as the rest of the world started to

really sit up and take note of the iconic events occurring.

Egyptian Crisis 1

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Transcript of Egyptian Crisis 1