While a spirit of jubilation continues to permeate throughout Egypt at this   
   current time as a result of the departure of long-time dictator, Mohammed   
   Hosni Mubarak, which was brought about an eighteen-day peaceful uprising by   
   Egypt's youth -- now being called the January 25th Revolution -- serious   
   thinkers have already begun to realize that while one danger has passed --   
   the potential for a serious government crackdown in which the military would   
   have fired upon the protestors -- another danger still remains. That danger   
   is that the Egyptian people may have cast off one form of tyranny, only to   
   be oppressed by another; that is, a military dictatorship.   
      
   Let there be no misunderstanding. It is quite possible that the Egyptian   
   military may be playing a very shrewd game, even as the occupants of Tahrir   
   Square, and all Egyptians, experience their first taste of political freedom   
   in more than thirty years. While the dictator is gone, we must remember that   
   he in fact ruled by the consent of, and with the support of, the Egyptian   
   military, the very people who now have control of the government. Hosni   
   Mubarak was in fact one of their own who rose up through the ranks, and   
   became the new "president" following the assassination of Anwar al-Sadat in   
   1981 by radical military officers who may have been aligned with the   
   Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Mubarak was Vice President at the time.   
      
   If recent Egyptian history is any indication, then it may very well be that   
   the Egyptian military will not be satisfied with anything less than filling   
   the vacancy that has been left by Hosni Mubarak, with a new leader who is   
   likewise one of their own.   
      
   Who might that be?   
      
   Well, it seems that exactly how much and how far true democracy will take   
   root in Egypt now appears to depend on the inclinations of two men: the   
   Egyptian defense minister, Field Marshall Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, and Lt.   
   General Sami Hafez Enan, who is the chief of staff of the armed forces.   
      
   The former, a 75-year-old hardened military man who has been closely allied   
   with Mubarak, has shown little inclination towards accepting true democracy   
   in Egypt. Tantawi is totally beholden to the very same mantra as Hosni   
   Mubarak; that being security and stability. In short, Tantawi's motivation   
   is to maintain the status quo at all cost.   
      
   Several decades younger than Tantawi, Lt. General Sami Hafez Enan is viewed   
   by those in-the-know as being somewhat more progressive than Tantawi.   
   However, Enan is still a part of the very same military establishment which   
   did nothing to take down Hosni Mubarak until now, so his hands are not   
   exactly clean either.   
      
   On a positive note, during the past eighteen days, in several telephone   
   calls, Lt. General Enan assured the U.S. Government that his troops would   
   not fire upon the protestors in Tahrir Square; and apparently, he did keep   
   his promise. Yet still, even that could have been a calculated move to   
   maintain popularity with the masses, while the events of the past eighteen   
   days unfolded.   
      
   In short, the fate of true democracy in Egypt may rest upon one central   
   factor; and that is who will prevail in Egypt: Tantawi or Enan; or will it   
   yet be the people? While one important battle has been won, there are yet   
   many more complicated political battles to follow; and they may indeed turn   
   out to be extremely messy. Just look at the current political state in Iraq   
   if you have any doubts concerning this point.   
      
   Having said all of the above, I would again encourage my readers to keep a   
   close eye on developments in the Middle East, because that is where the   
   action is, and will be, according to God's Word. Regardless of which way the   
   tide turns in Egypt, the effects of those events will continue to   
   reverberate throughout the lands of the Middle East. There is a hard wind of   
   change blowing, and only God knows what will eventually result from it.   
      
      
      
   Jeff Snyder, SysOp - Armageddon BBS  Visit us at endtimeprophecy.org port 23   
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