Egyptian Elections

After the summer I feel like I should comment on the Egyptian Parliamentary elections, but I really don't have much to say. People in activist circles assumed the Presidential election was a given, but had some hope that the Parliamentary contests could prove more interesting and perhaps provide a spark for their movement(s). However, it's been clear for a little while now that nothing like that was happening. The only interesting result I've seen is Ayman Nour's loss in Bab Shareyya, and he's probably the man the other opposition groups are least likely to rally around as a symbol. Meanwhile, like Big Pharaoh, I suspect Mubarak wanted Islamists as his enemy for foreign policy reasons, and sees them as a group that can ultimately be co-opted without threatening the regime's core power.

Egypt today is a little like The Matrix. Everything functions as just another control mechanism.