In Egypt, annual GDP growth has been nearly 7% since 2005. Exports have grown at 20% a year. In 2007, Cairo's stock exchange 'was the world's hottest'. (Egypt's political and economic problems )
But, Hosni Mubarak's time as President of Egypt may be coming to an end.
According to The Economist, 16 February 2008, "Citizens in five of the country's 26 governorates ... have been suffering a dire shortage of drinking water. Some villagers have blocked roads and demonstrated outside government offices in what the opposition press has dubbed a 'revolution of the thirsty'.
"Others are angry about the failure of wages to keep up with inflation. Labour activists have documented some 350 protests this year, including strikes by state-employed teachers, postmen and train drivers.
"This number is not large in a country of 75m, but as public-sector workers have traditionally been mobilised behind the ruling party independent labour action is a disturbing novelty." (Egypt's political and economic problems )
The USA may be looking for a replacement for Mubarak.
The USA is not happy with Mubarak.
According to Joel Beinin ( It's the Empire, Stupid ), on 21 February 2008, "In an uncharacteristically blunt criticism of the regime of President Husni Mubarak, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on February 13 that, "we have not been satisfied with Egypt's efforts" to control smuggling of weapons into Gaza through the tunnels under the border.
"Voices in and around the Israeli government have been beating the drums for a full-fledged invasion and reoccupation of the Gaza Strip as the only solution to this and other security problems."
Is the CIA going to use the Muslim Brotherhood to topple Mubarak? - Egypt's Opposition to Run in Elections
The Muslim Brotherhood, in 2005, won 88 seats in the lower house of parliament and became the country's largest opposition bloc.
The Muslim Brother is suspected by some of being a tool of the CIA and MI6. (aangirfan: The use of the Muslim Brotherhood by MI6 and the CIA in ... / aangirfan: The use of militant Moslems in Russia, China, India ...)
According to an article entitled Egypt: strikes shake US ally, "Workers at the Ghazl el-Mahalla textile mill in Egypt staged a mass demonstration last Sunday (17 Feb 2008), calling for the end of the US-backed regime of Hosni Mubarak.
"The textile mill is the biggest in the Middle East. Its 27,000-strong workforce has been instrumental in forcing the regime into making economic concessions.
"The workers stormed out of their factory chanting, 'Down, down Hosni Mubarak! Your rule is shit!' As they spilled out into the Nile Delta town they were joined by up to 10,000 local people."
Egyptian newspaper Al Mesryoon recently reported that Mubarak's decision to allow Palestinians to enter Sinai wasn’t about the Palestinians rights but it was about his concern that Egyptian “Muslim Brothers” will use Hamas tactics to start a mutiny in some Egyptian cities. - Egyptian security searches for five Mossad agents entered Sinai
On 20 February 2008, Egyptian security forces arrested at least 70 members of the Muslim Brotherhood in predawn raids around the country, bringing the total number of members arrested in the past week to at least 150, writes Elijah Zarwan, from Egypt.
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