As the Janis Joplin song goes, "Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose." Many Egyptians felt that way as decades of frustration poured out onto Facebook pages and eventually the streets over the past several weeks. Thirty years of Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian rule, a culture of corruption among police and the ruling party, plus an enormous economic crisis meant so much of Egyptian society had finally had enough. We have witnessed a tidal wave of people power motivated more by pride and determination than fear. Judging by the reaction of the protesters following Mubarak's resignation, there is no way the military establishment will be able to put the genie back in the bottle. Given the current state of affairs, who would want to? Chronic joblessness and illiteracy combined with skyrocketing food prices to make life miserable for so many in this cradle of civilization that is now home to 80 million. The West can claim some responsibility for spreading democratic ideas, but we have also helped bankroll a military junta that has been every bit as repressive as the Shah of Iran. We don't want that kind of history to repeat itself. Speculators have also artificially inflated food prices in countries like Egypt that depend heavily on imported wheat. The U.S. may not be able to dictate Egypt's agenda, but we can help prevent food riots. In 24 hours, we saw anger turn to jubilation. That's an encouraging sign in a region known more for stability at the point of a gun than by hope.
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