Egyptian protesters are being asked to choose between revolution and democracy, and if this is the only choice they are allowed to have, then I say go for revolution. Here's the dilemma they face: a hectoring set of self-interested leaders including Egypt's Mubarak surrogate Vice President Suleiman, the Egyptian Army, Egypt's neighbors in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the Emirates and Israel, and the entire Obama administration are instructing the brave women and men of Tahrir Square in the nuances of democratic theory, saying in one voice "Slow down! Democracy takes time!" Why? "Because the ground must be prepared for an orderly transition to democracy." And if the protesters won't listen? "Then they will undermine stability and reap the whirlwind -- breed a chaos that can only lead to a renewal of tyranny."
These seemingly wise cautionary remarks are well grounded in history and political philosophy and seem compelling. In the absence of a bottom-up civil society including independent NGOs and well organized political parties, and without citizens educated into the responsibilities and complexities of democratic governance, today's ardent but orderly advocates of change can morph into (or be taken over by) tomorrow's desperate and disorderly mob. All true, too true.
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