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This website is an interactive academic tool for CEA-UNH course: International Human Rights: Universal Principles in World Politics



Instructor: Dr. Scott Blair

CEA Paris Global Campus

Spring 2011

UNH Course Code: POL 350

Credits: 3















Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Egypt

For years, President Mubarak resisted calls to name a successor to his position and ultimately in early 2011 Egyptians became fed up with the civil and political problems that they were facing. Inspired by the protests that were taking place in next-door Tunisia, millions of protestors took to the streets in Cairo, Egypt to demand that President Mubarak be overthrown. Soon after the protests began in Cairo and throughout Egypt, the government shut down the countries access to the Internet, in an effort to take away the protestors main organizational and communicative tool. Many Egyptians took to Facebook and Twitter, among other social media sites, in order to spread information about what was occurring and in an effort to gain support and a larger presence in Cairo. Violence began to erupt in Cairo, as protestors began fires in the streets. As a result, President Mubarak ordered the Egyptian police to retreat from the streets and decided to take greater measures to prevent the protestors. In late January, Mubarak called on the Egyptian military to take measures to calm the protestors and announced, in his first public address since the protests began, that he would form a new government.

The main sight of the protest was in Tahir Square in Cairo, in which those opposed to Mubarak clashed with Pro-Mubarak demonstrators, resulting in lots of violence. As a result, Mubarak ordered the military to take action against the protestors to calm the situation, however they military refused to fire on the civilians, signifying an important loss of power.

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