Certainly well received by the crowds in the Cairo square, and of course the US equity market.
Mubarak Resigns as Egyptian President, Hands Power to Military
But the real work of reform is yet to come. This victory is perhaps more symbolic than substantial. Vice President Omar Suleiman is waiting in the wings, and the alternative is rule by the military. As the Americans and English recently learned, one can throw out the scoundrels, but another version creeps in, if the overall climate of corruption remains intact.
The first step is to realize that one is not free. This is not always so simple given some of the subtleties of modern tyranny. The next step is to be willing to do something about it, to peacefully stand for change, and demand freedom and reform.
The spirit of Indignez-vous may provide an unsettling summer in Europe. Change is in the wind, but it is not always predictable and constructive. It moves like a force of nature-- sometimes a life giving rain, but at other times a tsunami.
Are you old enough to remember the euphoria surrounding the liberation of Paris? Most likely not, but perhaps the more recent collapse of the Wall in Berlin? Tonight reminds me of those times when hearts sang.
But one must also consider, in this latest turn of the drama between the will to power and the spirit, what is the empire that crumbles? And behind the scenes, who plays Gorbachev, and what overweening power does he serve?
I wish the Egyptian people well in their coming efforts and difficulties. Now the real work begins. For freedom is not an achievement, or even a destination, but a way of life.
Although for tonight, a celebration.
