As a locale of popular political expression, the street is becoming -- despite attempts made to control it -- a power to contend with, writes Mona Makram-Ebeid* Do rulers in the region take into account street protests that often reveal popular sentiments that may prove consequential? In general, assessment of Arab public opinion, or the 'Arab street' as it is often called, falls into two camps: one dismisses it as politically irrelevant due to the absence of democratic institutions; the other sees the Arab street as perpetually about to rise in popular revolt leading to chaos. Although Arab society in general is opaque, statistics and demography not part of ordinary life, I believe that the Arab street represents a much more complex entity wherein dissent is expressed in a unique manner. Being here mainly concerned with Egypt's 'street', we can cite several instances that illustrate its active history. First, the anti- colonial struggle of 1919, when all actors of society took to the street to denounce the British occupation: students, workers, peasants, women, state employees and others. Then, the attempt via the October 1956 tripartite aggression of Britain, France and Israel to regain control of the Suez Canal caused an outpouring of protest in support of Egypt not only in Egypt's street but also in most Arab countries. Similarly, the 'bread riots' of 1977 -- sparked by the lifting of subsidies on basic commodities -- forced the government to renege on its actions and keep prior social policies in place. And in 1986, police conscripts who were shamefully underpaid rebelled when rumours spread that the duration of their conscription would be extended, triggering nationwide protest from Alexandria to Aswan, and countering the myth of Egyptian 'apathy', 'passivity' and 'submissiveness'. Fear of further popular uprisings due to spiralling costs of living has forced the government to maintain social safety net programmes, such as the Social Fund for Development. More recently, 2008 saw an unprecedented wave of popular protests, mainly by the impoverished lower middle classes whose discontent was channelled into the Islamist movement when authorities failed to respond adequately. While it cannot be said that the 'street' has a direct or decisive impact, it has the proclivity to affect the state's public policy, whether it be in domestic matters or foreign policy. On the other hand, because the government and state-controlled media have been successful in moulding public opinion, in order to contain public anger, the street has had only limited success in affecting politics. Things are changing, however, and the street is increasingly becoming a force to contend with. The influence of popular sentiment on the government is real, though subtle. The regime has learned to pay more attention to what the public thinks and to feel the 'pulse' of the street, although it does so from a security rather than a political standpoint. It often attempts to exploit discontent by allowing and even encouraging anti-American and anti-Israeli protest, to distract attention from internal problems. The latest ferocious assault on Gaza is proof that the street remains the locale in which popular outrage is expressed so long as local regimes or global powers ignore popular views. The brutality of Israel's use of force sparked a wave of fury from Morocco to the Gulf, making most Arab rulers uneasy. Demonstrators took to the street in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people (though not necessarily with their leadership), denouncing Israel's barbarity and the Arab governments' impotence and immobility. Most Arabs, ordinary men and women, were fixated on their TV screens, outraged by the horrific scenes of atrocities committed against innocent Palestinians. Although the Israeli assault is felt primarily in Gaza, political shockwaves pass across the Arab world in forms that cannot be easily predicted. In conclusion, to ignore 'the street' is to ignore moral sensibility at the expense of the wise conduct of politics. * The writer is former Member of Parliament and distinguished lecturer in politics at the American University in Cairo
