Fareed Zakaria just gave a great, capsule commentary on the situation in Egypt.

His main points -

The protests / revolt are primarily internal, Egypt specific. They're about the economy, jobs, freedom of expression, political suppression, etc. Widespread among many citizens - not religiously based, but secular. Across economic groups.

The danger of aggressive, brutal state crackdown on these movements could echo Iran. If moderate and liberal voices get silenced, religious or secular, the remaining opposition may well be religious extremists. And they would be the only other option.

Baradei may not be electable in Egypt in his own right, but a good choice as a transitional figure - internationally known, a participant in international issues, trusted, secular and willing to serve as a bridge to elections.

(My take on his comments. I'll post a transcript if it comes up. He was on CNN.)

:hi:

We did watch PBS newshour - they have good coverage from ITN (Indep. Telev. News) - and did show competing protests by secular factions and extremists who want sharia law. Scary.

was that he is unelectable, and knows this, and is a blank slate in Egypt (no baggage) and therefore not a threat to any of the opposition parties. He will hold a place of stability until there can be real elections in September. It is a very noble task he willing to perform for Egypt, IMHO.

Then, the 'peoples revolution' got hijacked by the fundies.