Today (February 1, 2011), many of us watched the end of an era. Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, announced that he will not run in the September election. There is still unrest with the citizens and the people who are revolting continue to chant that they will not leave Tahrir Square until Mubarak is completely removed as the head of the state. The exact words they are chanting are, “he leaves, we will not leave.” Through all this Americans are wondering what this means to them. Though Egypt is thousands of miles away, it was and still remains a key player for politics in the Middle East. I’m going to take you through what may be good from this situation and what may be bad.

GOOD:

• Egypt may finally get a democratic government.
• The cost of life may decrease.
• The new president may bring reforms that will enhance the country instead of take it three steps back.

BAD:

• Gas prices will rise 20 cents by March (as reported by World News Tonight on January 31, 2011) because Egypt pumps out about 1 million gallons of oil a day but is now stalled.
• The next Egyptian president may not want to keep it’s ally status with America.
• The peace between Egypt and Israel may not last much longer depending on the president.
• Islamic Extremist may take over and the lives of Muslims and Christians (mainly Christians since they are the minority) will be at risk.

As you can tell, these are all “what if” situations and nothing is known for sure. That is the worst part of the whole situation. What if this, what if that will never help America, my family, and my anxiety. All we can do now is sit and watch this revolt play out. Many of you probably think I am against democracy, but that can’t be any further from the truth. Democracy is a great idea, but all it is is an idea until it is acted upon. Egypt is not ready for democracy. Egypt is still a young country that is trying to find its political identity. Unfortunately, it can be a great identity or one that will lead to catastrophic events. A last point I want to point out is that Mubarak is not the most amazing president in the world, but in the country that he was in, battling the factors he had to, he did a pretty decent job.