Egypt on the Edge

The uprising that started  in Egypt and swelled to a boiling point today is a real problem for the people there and here.   Mubarak is in essence a dictator having miraculously won election with 90% of the vote in every election he ever ran in.  The uprising is a democratic one.  The people are tired of not being heard by their government.  So they rise up to tell them to change.  The problem is that if the people don't feel the President has gone far enough they will continue to rebel until the country is completely destabilized.  This is the point that our interests are threatened.  Egypt is a major route for oil to come to the United States.  The Suez canal is ground zero for these riots.  If the flow of oil is cut off from the middle east due to this upheaval it could seriously affect the price of gasoline here in the US.

Part of the problem in this area is the large Muslim Arab presence in the country.  A violent overthrow of the government could leave a void that radical Islam could slip into and wrest control of the government.  If you doubt this could happen take a look at Iran back when the Shah was deposed.  The radicals immediately began an Islamic theocracy.

The outcome of this uprising is in doubt and is a major concern but as I watch the events unfold on the news I thank God everyday that I live in a country where the protest against the government is conducted in a peaceful fashion at the ballot box.  Let's keep that going.