MideastAnalysis.com
  • Home
  • Gordon Robison
  • Articles
  • Consulting & Public Speaking
  • Links
  • Contact

Watching Egypt... and waiting

10/2/2011

 
Television channels around the world have been on Mubarak-Resignation-Watch for several hours now. State TV has announced that Mubarak will speak this evening Cairo Time. Beyond that, however, everything is speculation.

This is an important point to make at a moment like this. Whatever is happening in the high councils of state is happening, for the moment, in camera.

CNN, for example, has been reporting seemingly conflicting announcements by a "senior Egyptian official" associated with the ruling National Democratic Party saying that Mubarak will step down. It also, however, is reporting a statement by the Egyptian information minister denying that the President is resigning. Considering, however, how radically Egyptian State Television has gone off-message in the last few hours it is reasonable to ask how on top of things the info minister really is. That, however, highlights a deeper point: Washington watchers know well that no Congressman, Senator or presidential aide is ever willing to admit to a reporter that he has no clue what is going on. Instead they make sage-sounding pronouncements while demanding anonymity as sources. What makes one think Egyptian officials are, in this regard any different (I can tell you from nearly seven years experience as a Cairo-based reporter that they aren't)?

Put another way, there are only a few people in Mubarak's inner circle and among the senior military leadership who really know what is happening right now, and it is a near certainty that none of those people are talking to the press - Western or Arab.

Reporters need to report stuff and when a senior official says something it can legitimately be treated as news. It is less often, however, that reporters stop to ask themselves whether the senior official in question really has any idea what he is talking about.

On the first or second morning of the Gulf War Cairo's semi-official newspaper Al-Ahram ran a seemingly blockbuster story about the Egyptian Air Force conducting missions outside Egyptian airspace as part of the war effort (something the government had previously said it would not do). As a reporter for ABC News I called up an Egyptian general I had a passing acquaintance with to try and get confirmation. Egypt, of course, has a very large military with an inordinate number of general officers... but for any foreign reporter in Cairo military sources were fiendishly hard to come by. Hey, you work with what you've got.

I asked the general to confirm the Al-Ahram story and was thrilled when he said "yes, yes. I can confirm that." Excellent! I thought, sensing a scoop. Then the general said...

"I saw it in Al-Ahram just this morning!"

So what is Mubarak about to say? I haven't a clue. And, frankly, neither does anyone on your TV screen. Patience.
Hal O'Brien link
10/2/2011 11:33:13 am

Well, we now know the Info Minister wasn't as out of the loop as it appeared.

Alas.


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Gordon Robison has more than 25 years of experience living in and writing about the Middle East.

    Please click on 'Gordon Robison' in the navigation bar for a full bio.


    To receive future posts by email send a note to:

    mideastanalysis@gmail.com

    Archives

    February 2013
    October 2012
    September 2012
    September 2011
    May 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009

    Categories

    All
    Abu Dhabi
    Afghanistan
    Alqaeda
    Arab Politics
    Bahrain
    Cairo
    Dubai
    Education
    Egypt
    Elections
    Gulf
    Gulf News
    Iran
    Iraq
    Islam
    Israel
    Libya
    Links
    Obama
    Pakistan
    Peace Process
    Qatar
    Saudi Arabia
    Terrorism
    Tunisia
    Uae
    Un
    Us Culture
    Us Media
    Us Mideast Relations
    Us Politics

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.