The Egyptian revolution

Abstract

The Arab world has been moving towards change in successive events since the beginning of 2011. This change resulted in successful and semi successful revolutions.1 It started in Tunis, where dozens were left dead and President Ben Ali escaped with his family to Saudi Arabia. The events in Egypt, which began on 25 January 2011, came to an end on 11 February 2011 when President Mubarak stepped down. Regional bloody revolutions in Yemen, Syria, Libya, and Bahrain have yet to see their results. The domino effect continues to be accompanied by serious unrest in Jordan, and Algeria. In Egypt millions turned out in cities on 25th January, especially in Cairo's Tahrir Square. At first tensions were high between the police and protestors, with violence breaking out not only in Cairo but also in Suez and Alexandria. The government took a hard line, using riot-control tactics, and shutting down all forms of communication. By the 28th, however, the protests had resumed and the police had retreated. The security role was taken over by the military, leaving major gaps in the everyday security pattern. As pressure increased on Mubarak, the scale of the protests continued to grow, especially on organised Friday rallies.