First Post: Hosni Mubarak on Trial

Mubarak on trial, photo by New York Times

The highly-anticipated trial of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak began today, charging him with corruption and complicity in the killing of protesters during Egypt's revolution this past February. According to international news reports, the ailing autocrat had to be wheeled into the courtroom on a hospital bed due to his current medical condition.  

While the outcome of the criminal proceedings is yet to be known, I imagine the Egyptian people are feeling rather cathartic seeing the current state of their once highly-feared ruler. 

It is now up to those in charge however, namely the military, to deliver a fair trial that will help Egypt move forward and towards a more democratic state. While I am anxiously following the trial's coverage, 

and have hope in its results, I continue to remain cautiously optimistic. 

The trial is a major milestone in justice for the Egyptian people, but it remains to be seen whether this historical moment will have a positive or negative effect on Egypt and the Arab world, whose domination by ruthless dictators has only recently begun to crack with the Arab Spring. 

Image of the revolution, photo by Time Magazine

I had the rare opportunity to visit Cairo while Egypt was still living under Mubarak's rule, in February 2010. As a tourist I did not experience the everyday oppression facing native Egyptians, but the staggering poverty was hard to overlook. It came as little surprise when I heard that overbearing unemployment rates and high food prices were a major contributor to the revolutionary anger.

Walking the Cairo streets, it was common to be approached by young children and other peddlers selling trinkets and handmade items for cheap prices. As Americans in the bazaar we were often harassed as vendors competed for our attention, and our business. Egyptians, very young and very old, often worked late into the night trying to maximize their minimal profits.

During a day trip to the Egyptian countryside, the situation in fact seemed worse. There was little to no transportation available aside from animal-drawn carts, and small villages were suffering from collapsed infrastructure. There appeared to be no sanitation as well, as farm villagers were seen washing clothes and dishes in water polluted with sewage.

Not a very happy sight to imagine, but that was the reality of the Egyptian economic and social plight. The instability and frustration that led to the revolution was clearly many years in the making, and will clearly need many years to assuage.

Patience is a virtue, but I think it's clear Egypt has lost its taste for such formalities. The pace, and outcome of the Mubarak trial, will be a good indicator of where Egypt is headed and how long it will take them to get there.


*Tomorrow's Post: A personal story reflecting on a day-adventure in Cairo, will current reflections.