American Morning
Egypt a 'heartwrenching' and 'complex' diplomacy issue for U.S.
(CNN) - Heavy gunfire reverberated in central Cairo before dawn Thursday as supporters and foes of embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak continued to face off at Tahrir Square, where chunks of concretes and Molotov cocktails were employed as weapons in the escalating crisis. CNN personnel saw wounded people being carried into Tahrir Square, largely held by anti-regime demonstrators, through an entrance that leads to the nearby Egyptian Museum. Several ambulances entered and left the square shortly before 4 a.m. Thursday. Sustained automatic weapons fire, including from what sounded like a heavy machine gun, echoed around the square, the epicenter of nine days of protests calling for Mubarak's ouster. Anti-government demonstrators hunkered down behind makeshift barricades in the square and outside the nearby national museum against the onslaught, which demonstrators said included plainclothes police officers.
With unrest still happening throughout Egypt this morning between anti-Mubarak and pro-Mubarak protesters, what options does Mubarak have, and how should President Obama approach the situation?
Today on American morning, Mona Eltahawy, a columnist who was born in Egypt, and Nicholas Burns, former Under Secretary of State and now professor of diplomacy and international politics at Harvard, discuss Egypt and America's next diplomatic steps with T.J. Holmes.
Treasures at risk: Damages to King Tut statues, mummies 'a tragedy'
Egyptologists and archaeologists have been at unease since late last week when the unrest in Egypt led to damages to some of the nation's priceless treasures. Last Friday, looters at the Cairo Museum damaged two statues of King Tutankhamun, broke 13 glass showcases and damaged 70 other antiquities. There have also been reports of looting at dig sites around the country.
This morning, Dr. Bob Brier, Egyptologist, tells AM’s Kiran Chetry and T.J. Holmes what damage has been done, how it can be repaired, and how some Egyptians are banding together to protect the museums.
Brier says the entire country of Egypt is a "vast outdoor museum," and that the monuments are certainly not safe.
Sen. Dick Durbin: Mubarak should leave 'the sooner the better'
Today on American Morning Sen. Dick Durbin, D, Illinois, responds to the role the Obama Administration is taking with Egypt. Tuesday President Barack Obama warned Tuesday of "difficult days ahead" for Egypt following President Hosni Mubarak's announcement that he won't run for re-election. Has the United States done enough in responding to Egypt?
Watch the full interview:
Mubarak in 'state of denial,' pro-Mubarak protests 'insignificant'
(CNN) - Egypt woke up to a day of uncertainty Wednesday as opposition groups and protesters dismissed President Hosni Mubarak's pledge to not seek office again after his current term - and continued their demand for him to step down immediately. Shortly after sunrise Wednesday, Cairo's Tahrir Square was already packed with demonstrators - including families with young children - for a ninth day of protests against the ruler. But the same morning, some demonstrators chanted in favor of Mubarak, saying the press are "traitors" and "agents." Mubarak said Tuesday he will not seek office again in elections scheduled for September, but vowed to stay in the country and finish his term.
Today on American Morning, AM’s Kiran Chetry talks to Emad Shahin, associate professor of religion at the University of Notre Dame who has taught at American University in Cairo, about Egyptians' reactions to Mubarak's announcement.
Shahin says Mubarak fell short of the people’s demands and is in a state of denial. He explains to Chetry why protesters are fed up with Mubarak and breaks down Obama's Tuesday statement about the United States' role.
'Sky will not fall in' if Muslim Brotherhood gains power in Egypt
(CNN) - The scenes in Egypt have been dramatic, as thousands turn out onto the streets demanding that President Hosni Mubarak resign after 30 years in power. Few images have been more powerful than those of demonstrators dropping to the ground to pray in the face of security forces. And while some have been inspired by the role of religious faith in the protests, there are definite worries that the banned Muslim Brotherhood is waiting in the wings, hoping for a chance to take over.
The Muslim Brotherhood has been part of the political scene in Egypt for more than 80 years and advocates a move away from secularism and a return to the rules of the Quran. It's the oldest and largest opposition group in Egypt and is illegal under Egyptian law. And while the Brotherhood officially rejects the use of violent means to secure its goals, offshoots of the group have been linked to attacks in the past.
CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank has met with top leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. Today on American Morning, he gives his analysis on the Muslim Brotherhood's current role in Egypt. Cruickshank explains to AM's TJ Holmes why many are concerned about their influence and how their role in Egypt affects al Qaeda.
For more on the Muslim Brotherhood:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/01/28/egypt.muslim.brotherhood/index.html
Cruickshank: Why Egypt revolt threatens al Qaeda
By Paul Cruickshank, CNN
February 1, 2011 7:20 a.m. EST
(CNN) - One Middle Eastern dictatorship has been toppled and another is hanging on for dear life. And the terrorist organization that casts itself as the vanguard in the struggle to overthrow "un-Islamic" Arab regimes had absolutely nothing to do with it.
Al Qaeda has an Egyptian problem.
Its support base, already severely shaken by its barbaric excesses in Iraq and biting criticism from fellow jihadists, could narrow yet further.
The televised scenes of secular, middle-class youngsters and Egyptians from all walks of life courageously and largely peacefully challenging the regime of President Hosni Mubarak have been transmitted onto tens of millions of television screens across the Arab world and have captured the imagination, providing vastly more attractive role models for young Arabs, whose hopes for too long have been strangled by political, economic and cultural sclerosis.
While policymakers in Washington are understandably nervous about what happens next, this early Arab Spring has the potential to severely damage al Qaeda's standing in the Arab world and deflate its claims to be the only vanguard for change in the Middle East; for energized Arab populations, never has the group seemed more irrelevant. The Obama administration should not let the moment get away.
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