We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, January 28, 2013

Together We Build Egypt

Click here to access article by Thalia Beaty from Muftah.

This is a brief article that makes a big point about the Egypt of today.
Two years ago, on Police Day, a national holiday, citizens rose up to say, “No more.” They will continue to do so until a new government is formed that can safeguard Egypt’s many natural resources and unleash the human potential so evident in its people.
On this anniversary of the "days of rage" that ignited across Egypt two years ago, I think it is fitting that we look at what is happening today in that troubled country. Below are three additional articles that I recommend. 

I recommend this piece entitled "Egypt’s Cultural Revolution Is Here" from Muftah by Sarah Zakzouk, a London-based academic publisher, who on her recent visit to Egypt was very impressed by what she saw as a cultural as well as a political revolution.

Second, this piece from Jadaliyya by their editors entitled "Another Year of Rage".

Finally, this piece from World Socialist Web Site entitled "Mursi declares state of emergency as protests escalate in Egypt" gives the latest update on the current scene.