Egypt, what future?

[Gotno Gizmo]

The Egyptian people have achieved the unexpected, Hosni Mubarak, their President has been wrenched from power. They are now hopefully free of an oppressive and corrupt regime. Millions of people across the world have gained inspiration from the brave actions of those protesters who endangered their own well being in their desire to bring about changes they seek in their future.

However, I fear that their hopes and aspirations may not be fully met; I believe that the timing of their historic event is unfortunate inasmuch as many of the global financial variables are against them. Tourism is a major foreign currency earner. When I was last there, Egyptians were saying that tourism was noticeably lower than one year ago. They were blaming it on the recent shark attacks in the Red Sea. However, when I inquired as to the nationality of reduced tourism, I learned that it was mainly northern EU country tourist numbers in decline. Interestingly, Russian and other former Soviet country tourist numbers were holding steady.

Egypt has a developing industrial sector also. I believe that this growth has resulted from internal and foreign tourist purchasing of products along with a helpful textile/ garment export production, supplemented with fruit and vegetable exports that have also filled the coffers. It is unknown how much of this revenue has found its way back into the Egyptian economy, and how much has lined Mubarak’s, his cronies, and associated “Smart Money” pockets. Will Egyptians ever be able to recover these funds from the Swiss, Cayman Islands, or wherever hidey holes?

Whatever administration Egypt will eventually vote into power, it will have an uphill struggle. With a burgeoning population zooming past the 80 million mark and a predominant young population, generating employment for them all will require a miracle. If they can stop all corruption and create a system whereby trade profits generated stayed within their own borders, they may have a chance. Foreign investment (“Smart Money”) will only come their way if they can keep production costs as low as possible. That may not be compatible with the Egyptian’s desire to earn a wage good enough to lift them out of poverty. Competing in today’s global market place is unlikely to provide the funding they require to develop their infrastructure or enhance provision of state medical or educational provision.

Many countries with a greater developed industrialised infrastructure are watching their traditional earning capacity disintegrate as the “Smart Money” manipulates their economies into decline, having encouraged them down a path of indebtedness and consumerism that undermines their own well being to the advantage of the few. Their governments demand an austerity that impinges upon any hope of their populations maintaining improvements of their social status quo, but should look to the inhabitants of countries like India or China to provide markers of what reasonable worker expectation should be.

[AkMike]

Is this going to lead to anything involving Ukraine?

[Gotno Gizmo]

I'm starting to find your continous replies to my non Ukrainian directed posts rather tedious. I am not aware that you are a controller of this website and if you don't want to read my posts you are not obliged to open them. I am just as entitled to an opinion on this site as anyone else, and if I am infringing website protocol by writing about countries or subjects not directly relating to Ukraine, the owners of the website NOT YOU have the power to block me. I do care about Ukraine, and write about, or provide a link pertinant to Ukraine often.

However, it is interesting to note that the greatest number of hits and replies concerning my posts relate to the USA. This suggests to me that the biggest number of site readers are citizens of the USA with Ukrainian connections. I only wish that there were many more Ukrainian nationals contributing to this site, particularly on poitical matters. However, I do understand that for many of them who are capable of writing eloquently in English, that they prefer not to do so, given Ukraine's past poitical history, and may still not be assured that they now have a green light to speak against current Ukrainian administrations completely openly without some future reprisal.

If you did not have such a myopic view of the world, you might be able to see that usual global topics that I cover, can be related to Ukraine as many other countries. If you wish to earn my respect, can yout try and say something really meaningful, about Ukraine, or any other subject, I would be most grateful.

[AkMike]

Read the title of this section on the index page,

It says,"Politics
Whats going on in Ukrainian Politics?"

Toss this stuff in the "Open Board" so we can skip it easier.

When you discuss Ukraine or the politics there I'm interested in a debate. I really have no desire to earn your respect either. I'm interested in Ukrainian politics as this area topic is, not the liberal, gimme, gimme attitude you show.

[nickcsadler]

AK... if you are interested in only internal Ukraine politics are you not being somewhat insular???... Ukraine is concerned and involved in World politics and events... if that wasn`t the case why did they send troops to foreign countries???

[Gotno Gizmo]

AkMike if your only interest here is subjects related to Ukraine, you could have made some contribution to the matter of Andrei Bondarenko, who was required to take a sanity test because of his trade union activities in Ukraine. However, I believe that because he's a "loonie leftie" in your view, he wasn't worthy of your attention. Where was your contribution to the recent threads "Charges against the Opposition, Brawling in Parliament, Ukraine and the IMF", etc etc.

I offer you the challenge of sharing your observations about today's Ukraine. I have in mind the following topics that continue to puzzle me resulting from my periods of time in Ukraine:-

Why is that I see in Ukraine daily, a surprisingly large number of super luxury automobiles being driven along some of the most delapitated roads I have ever seen througout Europe?

Within a society in which many people have aspirations of becoming better accepted within the body Europe, why is it that I see the sad sight of elderly ladies in the street with cups in their hands begging for Kopeks?

Why is that governments like yours and mine treat Ukrainian citizens as lesser beings, by demanding that they must have a return ticket, holiday accomodation or a family /friends invitation along with a wad of pocket money, before they can be considered for even a short term entry visa into our countries. And yet by contrast we can just turn up at their border and enter, no visa or questions being asked?

I suspect that none of this will be of interest to you despite your claim to be only interested in Ukraine.

Finally, I apologise for being off of the thread topic for anyone expecting to read about Egypt.

[AkMike]

Mr. Sadler,
As you know I'm neither a mod nor the admin here. I'm just trying to follow the rules that are set forth. What's wrong with posting in the correct areas? GNG doesn't seen to care where anything is placed.

edit; In most other forums the mods move threads to the apropriate areas and let the posted know that. Not here also?