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February 14, 2011

Egypt's E-Volution: Power to the Peoples!

By Eugene Elander

The recent computer-fueled revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt prove that a New World Order is truly emerging. This article summarizes relevant recent history leading up to these exciting developments, aimed at the empowerment of all those living under repressive regimes.

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It is indeed hard to believe that, less than a month ago, one of the most repressive governments in the world was firmly entrenched in Egypt.  And it is even harder to believe that Mubarak's three-decade reign was brought to an end, not by ballots or bullets, but by social networking!  Egypt's e-volution truly constitutes a turning point in world history.

Of course, this pattern did not begin with Egypt.  Some years before, the Serbian movement Otpor used similar techniques to topple Slobodan Milosevic, based on the somewhat-obscure precepts of American political strategist Gene Sharp, who advocates ways in which non-violent means may be used to undermine repressive police states.

As early as 2005, the Egyptian Kefaya (or Enough) movement was stirring up the political pot in that ancient land.  And by 2008, many Egyptian youth began to see that the computer, the internet, and social networking could be keys to the overthrow of the Mubarak regime.  A group of expatriate Egyptians even formed an Academy of Change to initiate the steps which led to the beginning of the end for Hosni Mubarak.

One key player in the Egyptian e-volution has been Wael Ghanim, a Google marketing executive based in that nation.  He realized the potential of social networks like Facebook, blogs, and similar widely-used tools to bring the Mubarak regime down.  Then, those with doubts -- and there were many -- watched as the repressive Tunisian government of President Zine Ben-Ali fell on January 14, proving that it could be done, by determined youth armed with high-tech methods which could not be stopped by conventional means.  That heady moment was one final nail in the Egyptian government's casket -- and the rest is history.  Wael Ghanim deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for his vital leadership.

Undoubtedly, even as this article is written, repressed people in other nations, particularly the computer-savvy youth of those countries, are blogging, emailing, texting, and tweeting their own strategies to achieve democracy in their own lands.  They are lending new meaning to the theme of the 2008 Obama Presidential Campaign here: YES WE CAN!

The world will never be the same again; even in those nations whose repressive governments survive, their leaders will have to mend their ways or suffer the fate of the former Tunisian and Egyptian regimes.  The King of Jordan is already negotiating with representatives of the Jordanian people for a more-open regime which shares power there.  The Saudi government is finding that all of the tacit support it gives to Islamic extremist groups will not preserve its monarchy.

Technology in the hands of competent and determined citizens, combined with creativity and courage, can and will bring about their empowerment.  A couple of decades ago, there was much talk in America about The New World Order.  Now, in this new millenium, the world is discovering just what that phrase really means: Power to the Peoples!



Authors Bio:

Author's Biography

Eugene Elander has been a progressive social and political activist for decades. As an author, he won the Young Poets Award at 16 from the Dayton Poets Guild for his poem, The Vision. He was chosen Poet Laureate of Pownal, Vermont for his poem Pownal People. His three new verses for America the Beautiful:September 11, 2001 were widely acclaimed and read into the Congressional Record by U.S. Senator Chris Dodd.
Dr. Elander has authored four volumes of poetry: The Right Click, The World Click, Journeyings, and Philosophy over Fika, all written from 2004 to now, in the U.S. and Sweden -- as well as two published novels: The Goat of God, and Turning the Tides, both available via Signalman Publishing on Amazon.com in Kindle and electronic pdf editions. A self-help book titled Empowerment:Taking Charge of your Life was recently completed and is available via Amazon.com KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing.
Dr. Elander is a freelance columnist who published a newspaper for ten years in New London, CT. He is an economist and college lecturer, and has been an agency executive director, emergency management consultant, investigator; and former animal control officer, deputy code enforcement and health officer for Farmington, New Hampshire. He and his wife Birgit, who co-authored The World Click, divide their time between Georgia and her homeland, Gotland, Sweden.
Several other books are underway, including a sequel to The Goat of God, and a public version of his doctoral dissertation on Cooperatism, a new economic system he developed which includes all stakeholders (workers, consumers, and the public as well as stockholders) in crucial decision making. Dr. Elander has been a member of the Stonepile Writers group in Georgia and the Poetry Society of New Hampshire. He is president of his own Elander Press.


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