Local Expert: Protests In Egypt, Tunisia Are Game-Changing
GLENSIDE, Pa. (CBS) - As the protests in Egypt enter a third week, the fierce and bloody battles with police and pro-government supporters have largely given way to an uneasy stalemate. But tens of thousands of demonstrators say they won't be satisfied until president Hosni Mubarak resigns.
The rest of the greater Middle East is not only watching the unrest, but also is working to prevent similar uprisings in support of democracy.
For authoritarian states like Jordan, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, what started in Tunisia and what now roils Egypt is a game-changer, says Samer Abboud (right), assistant professor of history and international studies at Arcadia University.
"This changes how authoritarian regimes will govern; it will change how populations relate to the regime, and how they make demands on these regimes," Abboud says.
Hear the entire interview in this CBS Philly podcast...
Abboud says this is the work of young Arabs -- the under-30 set who have known bitter conflict between nations less than they have lived dismal economic and political realities in their own countries.
"They live in a globalized world, they live in a world where they're able to connect with other people and see how other people around the world live, and of course they want to make similar demands," he says.
Reported by Ian Bush, KYW Newsradio 1060
