Mubarak 'fears chaos if he quits'

[brooklynite]

Source: BBC

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says he would like to resign immediately but fears the country would descend into chaos if he did so.

Speaking after 10 days of protests, he said he was "fed up" after being in power for decades.

He said he was "unhappy" about the violent protests and warned that the Muslim Brotherhood would fill any power vacuum.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12361948

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“Après moi le déluge”

(this is from an ABC interview with Christiane Amanpour, presumably for broadcast on tonight's newscast)

[ananda]

1. Mubarak is a fucking smarmy liar!

I'm sure hardly anyone is buying this shit.

[wisteria]

8. Oh, and you know this for a fact? n/t

[OneAngryDemocrat]

31. What we know, is he is a dictator.

What we know, for a fact, Wisteria, is that Mubarak is a dictator.

Which part of that epithet do you take issue with?

[Ter]

40. So was Castro

n/t

[DLnyc]

23. Yes, a stinking coward and a lying piece of shit to boot.

a) Who sends thugs to shoot unarmed protesters from afar in the dead of night? A stinking coward, that's who.

b) Mubarak the stinking coward sent his thugs to attack Tahrir Square for the specific purpose of SOWING CHAOS. His "fear" of chaos is a fucking lie.

[decidedlyso]

28. A stinking, horrible, malevolent dictator who had better not let

the pro-democracy crowd find him.

[harun]

2. Playing the fear card.

[Beavker]

3. Then set up elections and invite the UN to observe

And YOU are not one of the candidates.

[wisteria]

9. He has already promised he is not running and neither is his son. n/t

[karynnj]

18. But if you listened to him and to his VP.

they intend to determine who is "fit" to run. It seems that he likely wants to facilitate someone like himself to be the next leader. The people are saying they want a new government NOW. (Consider what it meant when he picked his VP - an intelligence head - who was possibly the lead on the rendition torture.

There have been calls by people like El Baradei that a caretaker government be set up and elections happen as soon as possible. (Senator Kerry also spoke of a caretaker government.)

I suspect Mubarak thinks that anyone he dislikes winning - is losing control and chaos.

[OneAngryDemocrat]

32. Why presume that is good enough?

So tyhe fucker made some promises.

He didn't promise to leave TOMORROW, did he?

[laconicsax]

4. ROFLMAO!!!

:spray::rofl:

[ejbr]

20. My thoughts exactly! n/t

[eleny]

5. The only thing he's unhappy about is that his violent tactics of yesterday & last night have failed

[RKP5637]

6. Always has an answer / justification ... n/t

[wisteria]

7. I take his concerns seriously, the Muslim Brotherhood isn't a Code Pink.

Anyone who does not consider this group a serious and worrisome contender for power in Egypt is foolish.

[golddigger]

10. The only concern this man has is losing power, period.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. One they are not the only group on the ground

second. Hosni is NOT worried about them, but his skin and his ahem... legacy.

[brooklynite]

15. "Egypt’s Vice-President invites Muslim Brotherhood to talks"

"The Egyptian vice president has called for the protests to end. Speaking on state television he said all the protestors’ demands are being addressed. Omar Suleiman also said President Mubarak will not stand at the next election due in September. this has been a key demand of the opposition – the main reason for them not talking to the government.

Nevertheless when asked if opposition parties like the Muslim brotherhood had been invited to negotiations, Suleiman said that they had, as part of a national dialogue. But he said they are still hesitant to enter, adding that he thinks it’s a good opportunity for them to negotiate. "

http://www.euronews.net/2011/02/03/egypt-s-vice-president-invites-muslim-brotherhood-to-talks/

[DLnyc]

25. If he wanted to avoid a takeover by the Muslim Brotherhood

He would step down immediately and allow free and fair elections. In fact, he is actively sowing chaos as a way to STRENGTHEN (not weaken) the Islamists, so that he can continue using that threat to justify dictatorial powers.

I think a reasonable look at recent history shows that fundamentalist groups thrive in authoritarian and chaotic environments, more than in peaceful and democratic ones. For example, the Taliban arose in wartorn Afghanistan, the Mullahs followed the Shah, Shiite fundamentalist are ascendant in occupied Iraq. On the other hand, Turkey is democratic and (relatively) peaceful; although they have an Islamist party, I have heard from Turkish nationals that the appeal of those parties is limited and not a threat.

The line that we need authoritarian regimes to protect us from the threat of fundamentalist groups is often repeated, but in fact these regimes not only fail to prevent fundamentalism, they (intentionally or unintentionally) nurture it.

And, by the way, the Muslim Brotherhood, by many accounts, is Islamist but not fundamentalist in the mold of the Taliban or the Irani Mullahs.

So, respectfully, I would suggest that Mr. Mubarak's argument is, basically, bullshit.

[OneAngryDemocrat]

33. And anyone who coddles dicatators hates democracy, too.

What do you think of them apples?

[Roy Rolling]

11. A true patriot...

He is not one of those "cut and run" dictators. :rofl:

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. Ah so Marcos of him, and Caucescu

we are really near the end of this.

[L. Coyote]

14. Sub-text: "If I quit now, they will siege the 40 billion dollars I stole."

[Kennah]

19. Not necessarily

I can forward him an Email I received from FBI Director Robert Mueller.

[Uncle Joe]

16. If he didn't want chaos, his goons wouldn't be attacking the pro-democracy protesters, he

wouldn't have sanctioned torturing his own people, he wouldn't have chosen a hated figure as his new prime minister, he wouldn't have shut down the Internet and he wouldn't be attacking journalists trying to cover this story.

What drives Mubarak is power, not the fear of chaos.

If he truly wants to avoid chaos he needs to step down from power much sooner than September and there needs to be a gathering of Egyptian leadership from all political spectrums to form a democratic framework that empowers the Egyptian people to create a new government.

The Egyptian People have the inherent right of self-determination and it's long past time that they receive it.

Thanks for the thread, brooklynite.

[hunter]

24. Exactly.

He'd be telling his supporters something like, "Thanks, but for the good of the nation, I've got to go. Be peaceful in your pursuit of freedom, civil rights, and democracy."

[Jefferson23]

17. He meant to clarify HIS life would descend into chaos, not the country. n/t

[harvey007]

21. My question is:

Who gave the order for the violent crackdown on the Egyptian people and the arrests of journalists?

Is Mubarak doing this unilaterally or has he been given the "greenlight" and backing of other powerful global interests?

[LanternWaste]

22. As opposed to the quiet and calm restraint now being enjoyed...

As opposed to the quiet and calm restraint now being enjoyed... :eyes:

[apnu]

26. Mubarak is a desperate fool. He's got chaos now! (nt)

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

27. Concern noted. nt

[yellowcanine]

29. He is "fed up"!???? That's rich, it really is. Playing the "victim" is unbecoming, Hosni.

How do you think the Egyptian people feel?

[jmowreader]

30. As opposed to the chaos it's descended into now?

[Volaris]

34. I would think if he were SMART, he would fear the chaos if he doesn't...

what an ass, its time for him to GO...

[Jennicut]

35. And what is happening right now is a sea of calm?

[Spock_is_Skeptical]

36. uh, so the current situation is not chaos?

Look, if he is "fed up" he knows where the door is. Seems like the entire country is pretty much telling him to GTFO.

[queerart]

37. He Fears The ATM Will Close When He Leaves......

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/egypt-mubarak-family-accumulated-wealth-days-military/story?id=12821073

http://www.jpnews-sy.com/en/news.php?id=709


40-70 BILLION DOLLARS... but it's all on the up and up....


Being the President (for life) of Egypt just pays well.....

[David__77]

38. What if Egyptians would choose Muslim Brothers to lead?

That's democracy, right?

For "our" part, I would be good for the US to disengage from geopolitics and tend to its own affairs primarily, give up pretensions of being a superpower, and seek cooperation with other countries as equals with respect.

[ttwiddler]

39. He may be right

Egypt has a violent history of Islamist opposition. After all, remember what happened to his predecessor.

I'm probably pessimistic, but I expect him to step down, a power vacuum to open up, and the party most willing to kill civilians to take power. That would be, with little exaggeration, a potentially catastrophic situation not just in terms of geopolitics, but for western economies as well.