What's Going On in the World?

Starting at the end of January, the people of Egypt began to hold protests rallying against unemployment, the high rate of poverty in the nation, and most importantly, their corrupt then-president Hosni Mubarak. The most prevalent opposition group is the Muslim Brotherhood, who have in recent years been gaining fame and recognition via the internet (Twitter, blogging, etc.). Because of their large presence both on the internet and in the Muslim and Egyptian political realm, they were able to gain supporters to protest against Mubarak's government using the Internet. I read a particularly interesting article that discussed how the entire overthrow of the Egyptian government was indeed started by the internet. Since Mubarak's corrupt government would not stop short of harming its own citizens, the people of Egypt were, for decades, forced to remain silent despite their unhappiness with the government. Therefore, with the popularization of websites such as Facebook they were able to organize protests silently and anonymously, avoiding the risk of being prosecuted by the government. Because of this, the citizens of Egypt eventually overthrew the government in mid=February, prompting Mubarak to resign from his post as President and allow the Egyptian military to step in as an interim government, which many believe is going to turn into a democracy. I greatly admire the actions of the Egyptian citizens, both for their bravery and ingenuity in using the mediums such as the internet to ensure that their goal of freedom would be met.