Former leader: Hosni Mubarak, ruled 1981-2011
Interim governing body: Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) ruling until elections
The Egyptian revolution began on January 25, 2011 with massive protests in Tahrir Square in Cairo and other major cities across the country. Three days later Egypt's dictator, Hosni Mubarak, attempted to appease protestors by offering to replace all the ministers in his government except himself. It was not enough. On the 31st of January Mubarak shut down the Internet in an effort to prevent protestors from organizing with social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Once again, Mubarak's attempts to control his population failed, and by the 2nd of February the Internet was back. Mubarak fled the country on February 11, 2011.
Power was transferred to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), led by Mohamed Tantawi, who were supposed to run the country until elections could be held for an interim government which would re-write the constitution. The role of the military is extremely important in Egypt. Early in the revolution many attributed the success of the protests to the fact that the military refused to stop them. However, since the SCAF gained power people have questioned the military's motives.
Issues to watch:
-The military: will they actually give up power?
-The economy: Egypt's economy faced the biggest problems of the three states described in this blog before the revolution, and these problems still persist today.
