The Answer

Today Mubarak has resigned. The streets of Egypt erupted with jubilation. To say that people were shocked would be an understatement. Just the day before he'd made a defiant and frankly insulting speech to the Egyptian people. Telling them that the "martyrs", people that his forces had killed, had not died in vain, that they would not be forgotten. His clumsy attempts at co-opting the movement were infuriating in its sheer audacity. He told the world he understood, and would make changes, and delegate his powers to the VP, but he made it clear that he would finish his term due to expire in September.

I thought to myself, he's just challenged his people, and given hope and succor to dictators across the Arab world. The Egyptian people, they've been protesting for two and half weeks. Hundreds of thousands across Egypt, they're not going to work, they're not going to school, they are out in the streets. And I thought, how are they taking care of basic human functions. And then I found out that people have been organizing to feed the protesters, provide child-care and the like. There are stations to charge cellphones, laptops. Information, images, messages are getting out.

This is not a random event, this my friends is a sophisticated, well organized, empowered movement. It doesn't belong to any one ideology, but it does belong to one generation, the youth.

It makes sense that this is youth driven. After all, over 60% of the population is under the age of 30. The majority of them are college graduates, and of those roughly 70% are unemployed or underemployed. In the past decade, the price increases of basic necessities have outpaced the rise in wages. While at the same time, regimes have gotten progressively more corrupt and repressive. These statistics are generalizable to other countries in North Africa and Arab Middle East.

Corrupt how you ask? Well it is estimated that Mubarak's assets are about 30 Billion dollars. So what, that's 1 billion for each year he ruled. Enough said. As to repression well we're talking harassment and imprisonment of opposition members, outlawing of political parties, imprisonment of journalists, shutdown of print and other forms of media.

It is no wonder that dictators across the Arab world are very much afraid. The youth in Egypt are connected through social networking to their counterparts in other countries. Before long the systems and tactics used in Egypt will be transplanted to other nations. At least that is what I hope, and what dictators dread.

But remember this is not a random event. People didn't just wake up and decide to protest. Yes something happened to inspire the youth to rise up. It was watching what happened in Tunisia, and the resentment that has built over the decades was already near boiling point. That desire for freedom was always there, is there, Tunisia helped break the wall of fear.

When you protest in a country ruled by a dictator, you are taking your life in your hands. You are risking death, imprisonment and torture. As I write this I can't say for sure I would make this same choice. I am humbled and awed by the bravery, and sacrifice of millions.