From New Egypt to The New Ethiopia, with ...

...HUMAN Empathy

*

Once the Self is ready for a BIG CHANGE (change yourself and ..everything goes)...

We may look at the big lessons *1),

From NEW EGYPT ...

N.Y.T (Thomas Friedman)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/opinion/13friedman.html

Among many others writes:

They did IT.

TRUE; even more and important,

They did it just by themselves!

And thus the first big lesson from the Movement of NEW EGYPT is that,

Yes; They did it by themselves.

No doubt.

Nonetheless,.....there are indubitable circumstances and conditions at the backdrop, whose coincidence and conjunction, had been so crucial, that without which the victory could have been, I think,  impossible (at the moment in just getting rid of the higher brass of the Mubarak regime; now working hard on constituting the new Democracy).

This can be summarized as follows:

1. The benefit-diversification of the Egyptian ruling clique converging along two attractors of meaning. (The nationally anchored section  /here the military subsumed in this section /with the small share of the wealth vs. the globally affiliated with the lion share of corruption and benefit /the Mubarak clique and "elite" )*

2. The mass base rallied along one main trajectory of common sense of WILL - Mubarak has to go! - The embodiment of the regime

3. The selfless strong will & conviction of the "new" youth and intellectually well versed elite to struggle for Freedom, liberation & fair prosperity;  A big will for change, morally and ethically strongly anchored in universal humanism;  free of any dogma and ideology or religiously or ethnically contaminated prejudice & alienation.

4. The objective deteriorating standard of living for the vast section of the Egyptian people in an apparent contra-distinction  to the extravagant abundant living standard of a section of the ruling class; in a relatively developing economy (I presume).

Thus, with all appreciation and understanding of our (including mine) infatuation and passion, to hope for a similar wave of change to come in the immediate future in similar regions of autocracy, be it in Ethiopia, North Africa and the rest or elsewhere in the Arabian Peninsula, it is important to reflect, understand and work on the necessary social conditions (similar to the above) to come true, with all the different specifications prevailing in the different regions. Revolutionary romanticism by its own would not bring about social transformation and people's empowerment. At times it would even be adventurous, irresponsible and it would cause a big social set back, backfiring on the social momentum of the change to come. 

TO The New ETHIOPIA:

What are the relevant and crucial questions or inquiries for a serious reflection to promote the transformation, by working on the necessary conditions? Without a big fuss around it and avoiding any obscurity, this can be transparent by a summary of the following highly relevant questions:

1. How can the "higher brass" and the top section of the ruling clique/elite be pinpointed and isolated from a presumable "mass base" it may have succeeded or anticipate to manipulate and/or how can the different attractors of benefits and interests among the ruling clique be differentiated to rule out their co-operation in times of crisis?

2. How can the potentially glowing energy of the whole people, disenchanted through a growing poverty, hunger, destitution and dissatisfaction at all levels, be bundled up under a single line of nationwide struggle for freedom and prosperity, without any distinction of any quality; be it ethnic (extremely important! no discussion, since equality in post-modernity is so evident, that it is anachronistic to question it ), religious (in a similar fashion, extremely important!), ideological controversies, (always stressing the fact that it is as clear as a blue sky, that there is plenty of space and abundant room in the universe or in our Space of modern Ethiopia,  for unfolding, be it ideas or quality of life etc.)
 
3. All talk of transformation is meaningless, without a strong WILL of common sense for change. Thus how, and  through what means can this BIG WILL for Change be cultivated & nurtured, specially in the vast mass of the Youth - the "new"  and modern YOUTH, the embodiment of CHANGE per se, which should be free of any legacy prejudices and bias of ethnic, religious  and ideological nature -  entrenched, enlightened, thrilled and steeped in the only "Faith" it may learn to incorporate -  " The FAITH"  for "FREEDOM, SOVEREIGNTY and LIBERATION" of the "SELF"  to come to a collective WILL of working for a modern empathic Ethiopian community, developing under democratic and humanist principles of the 21st century, eye to eye equally positioned to all the modern youth of the globe?

4. How can the vast mass of Ethiopia, in advance the big urban mass of the Ethiopian Community in all social sections ( very crucial and important - to deprive the ruling clique of all its rallying "catechism") be mobilized to a solidarity of common- purpose - The Purpose of liberation from impoverishment and tyranny by a small - a really small ruling clique, - with specially a strong emphasis of differentiating, the rank and file  from the ruling leadership - letting them / the rank & file/ know,  to be free of complicity; i.e.  without the slightest indication of charging them for complicity in the oppression of the Ethiopian people. - That means, let alone Ethiopians of the Tigrai community (so far I am sorry to notice this all over the promoters of democracy in Ethiopia today.  A non-violent struggle can never win by intimidation but by teaching moral courage and a sense of clemency)…  I would even stress and say - even the rank and file cadres of TPLF and EPRDF ?( fyi. Have you observed how the Egyptian young demonstrators rushed to literally embrace the policemen, who were sent to fight them?   See Non-violence struggle, http://aeinstein.org/organizations103a.html )

Thus a conscious leadership (intellectually well versed, committed and mature) anchored, entrenched and contained  in the spontaneous creativity of the mass is still unequivocally necessary. Moreover, Egypt has not made it either without its Young LEADERSHIP - not leadership to contest for state power but to fight the tyranny.  Contesting for state power comes much much later in the process of the liberation; after the victory. And that would be an unequivocal outcome of democratic procedures, well after the democratic state is constituted by the best minds of the whole nation from all corners of the people for the people! Like what, I hope the Egyptians are now deliberating to do!!! AND to succeed!

People & Power - Egypt: Seeds of change

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrNz0dZgqN8&feature=player_embedded

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* Relevant reflections and analysis along this theme:

http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/586/why-egypts-progressives-win

New formations of power, the oligarchiccorporate state, and anthropological ideological discourse :  http://ant.sagepub.com/content/5/3/285.full.pdf+html

What makes a revolution succeed?  http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/02/201121393446561799.html

Please find interesting links and thoughts along this line below; specially some of the links on non-violent struggle like:

* Nonviolent strategies awaiting creative 21st Century applications:
     http://aeinstein.org/organizations103a.html

are in my opinion very useful for our Ethiopian "bewildered " state of affairs!

*1) similar post earlier; H.B.