I am encouraged what I see happening in Egypt right now. I'd come back from a trip to Cairo in May disheartened about Egypt's future. ElBaradei's quilt of supporters seemed to be coming apart at the seams, beset by petty bickering and an inability to keep their eyes on the prize of reform. Few people I spoke to thought real change was anywhere on the horizon, and those who thought it was necessary seemed to think it would fall out of the sky. They were content to wait for their leaders to initiate reforms. I was bewildered by the passive attitude until a conversation with a journalist there gave me some clarity. The notion of civic responsibility, he told me, the idea that we as citizens have not only a right to get involved in the political process but an obligation, a duty, to do so, is not part of the average Egyptian mindset. It is, however, a core element of a democratic society. While the journalist's comment put what I was seeing into focus for me, it also depressed me. I was living in the Soviet Union while communism was collapsing and saw first hand the power of ordinary people making their views heard. Had those crowds of thousands never taken to the street when Gorbachev was detained in his dacha in August of 1991, the Soviet Union might well still exist today. And the Russians weren't the first. Nicolae Ceausescu had already been toppled in Romania after unstoppable waves of protests, and demonstrations in East Germany led to the dismantling of the wall there. Repressive regimes in Eastern Europe fell like dominos after their citizens acted en masse. Before anything can change in Egypt, its citizens need to show a similar commitment to their future. Mubarak is exceedingly unlikely to resign and open the country up to free and fair elections out of the goodness of his heart, and the international community hasn't exhibited any burning desire to push him to do so. Waiting for change to happen is fruitless—Egyptians need to make it happen. This is the central message ElBaradei has been trying to communicate, and it has been largely unheard in many quarters. But, hearteningly, there are those who have taken those ideas on board, and their number seems to be burgeoning. I may not agree with the aims of the Muslim Brotherhood, but they are the most populist group in Egypt and cannot be ignored. They are to be commended for joining forces with ElBaradei – whatever their motives may be– and for garnering tens of thousands of signatures on the petition for political reform that was first proposed by the National Association for Change. The truth is, they are the only organization in Egypt with the grassroots manpower to get the job done. Even more exciting, in my view, is the door knocking campaign currently underway by the NAC. I went door-to-door on the day of the U.S. presidential election in 2008 as part of a get-out-the-vote effort for Barak Obama, and was overwhelmed by the effect it had, not only on the people upon whose doors we were knocking, but on the volunteers as well. The people we encountered were motivated to go vote; we volunteers were energized. Hopefully, the efforts currently underway will have a similarly vitalizing effect in Egypt. Finally, and perhaps most encouragingly of all, are the numerous marches that have been held, both those by various labor groups and the more recent and dramatic ones to protest the brutal treatment of Khaled Said. They are large, persistent and seem to be making a difference in the government's handling of the case, if a small one. The people of Egypt are increasingly demonstrating that they are not going to stand by and let the abuse continue. They are taking the future of Egypt into their own hands. That is good news indeed. BM
