Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Egypt’s military: guns and bread, why they remain in charge
by Larry Geller
A must-read for Egypt-followers. No little snip will work, click the link for the complete article.
It's hard to overstate how entrenched the military is. It is universally hailed for its heroism fighting against the colonial British, and later against the Israelis. Virtually all Egyptian families have contributed officers or conscripts to its ranks, which number nearly half a million soldiers in uniform and about the same number in reserves. The military also fields and sponsors several of the country's most popular sports organizations. And, during recent bread riots, it helped mollify angry crowds by ramping up production from its own bakeries.
[Time, Egypt's Military-Industrial Complex: Why the Generals Wield Such Power, 2/9/2011]
Unfortunately for Egypt militaries do not produce goods and services to meet the needs of a country. Nowadays the militaries role has shifted from defense to supporting the defense contractors. This leaves little for the majority of the population hence the uprising. Corporate America is slowly moving the United States in that direction. I hope we have the guts of the people of Egypt to stand up against this threat to democracy.
: February 10, 2011 at 3:10:00 PM HST << Home
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