Nine days of protests in Tahrir Square (Cairo) and elsewhere in Egypt are rocking the world. Government officials and diplomats across the Mideast and in Washington are on edge. This cataclysmic uprising is changing the geopolitics of the Arab and Muslim world.
Tuesday’s exhilaration (2-1-2011) turned into turmoil and violence in Cairo on Wednesday as pro-government demonstrators challenged protesters who continue to insist that President Mubarak resign. Mubarak’s supporters gained access to Tahrir Square, some of them on camel and horseback. It has been widely report that Mubarak’s supporters include mercenaries, who have been paid to confront those opposing his regime. The struggle for democracy in Egypt is at a critical point. For a quick overview of Day 9 see BBC: In Pictures: Deadly Clashes Rock Egyptian Capital @ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12347185.
Egypt is 8 hours ahead of US Central Standard Time. Tomorrow (2-3-2011) when classes begin in the Midwest, it will be late afternoon in Cairo. What will be happening in Egypt and the Mideast?
For live coverage–history as it happens–take your students to Tahrir Square via the BBC or Al Jazeera. Show a LIVE feed and, if possible, let students explore the sites for themselves.
BBC
This is a rich site. Here’s what’s available (2 Feb 2011–4:00 CST) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/. Since Egypt is the lead story, you can access several items directly from the HOME page. For expanded coverage go to "LIVE: Egypt Unrest" and select items from the page or click on the MENU for much more.
Egypt Unrest:
- Left side of screen: news summaries (most recent at top of list)
- Right side: LIVE feed (video, voice-over reporting, interviews, commentary)
- Below LIVE feed: summary of KEY POINTS (select and print as needed)
- Scroll down to "More on This Story" (features, analysis, profiles of Mubarak, Suleiman, ElBaradei, Muslim Brotherhood, Opposition)
- Scroll down again for "More Mideast Stories" (related news about what’s happening in Yemen and Jordan)
- IMPLICATIONS: analysis by Roger Hardy (Middle East analyst at the Woodrow Wilson Center)
- Q & A: background and context for understanding breaking news (student-friendly format)
- MAP: "Egypt: Timeline of Unrest" (overview plus 9 days coverage)–use with Cairo street map on left (click on landmarks) and map of Egypt on right (click for events in other cities); to check date of these videos, scroll down for text summary (e.g. a Suez video refers to January 28)
- IN PICTURES: most recent slideshow fills screen–but scroll down for earlier slideshows; slides can be saved (to put into PowerPoints)
- WHO’S NEXT: map with photos of heads of state in North Africa plus Yemen and Jordan–with text about the situation in each country
Here’s an overview of what’s on Al Jazeera (2-Feb 2011–5:00 CST). For Al Jazeera English Live Stream go to http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/. TOP NEWS stories are on the right and just below this list is another list, WHAT’S HOT. Both will have several recent videos–with accompanying articles.
Also, along the right side, click on "The Battle for Egypt" or go directly to http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/spotlight/anger-in-egypt/. This provides in-depth coverage–access to the Live Stream, other videos, articles, blogs.
From the main page you can scroll down the right column to access a provocative opinion piece, "It’s Time for Obama to Say Kefaya!" by Mark Levine (a history professor at the University of California–Irvine). In Global Studies or World History classes, if students read this for homework, discussion should be lively tomorrow!
Scroll down the page for more articles, especially "Eid Mubarak, Egypt!" and "How Tunisia’s Revolution Began."
Photos on Al Jazeera pages can be saved. The articles are short and easy to print for distribution to students.
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