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Egypt revolution hard to predict

Tunisia’s revolution may have had spillover effects on the Egyptian uprising, but revolutions have always been difficult to predict, says an analyst.

African policy analyst Nii Akuetteh said in an interview with Press TV that Egypt “has been and remains a very staunch ally” to the United States.

“One reason why people thought that [the spillover effects from Tunisia] might not be as intense in Egypt is that Egypt is a much bigger country and more importantly it has enjoyed much stronger backing from the United States,” he said.

“I mean, the previous US President, George W Bush, says that the US has been trying to put stability ahead of democracy for sixty years,” he added.

Akuetteh went on mentioning that White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs “talked on both sides equating the demonstrators and the government.”

As he put it, the “fast” spread of the unrest across Egypt is “a surprise to everybody.”

“But let me say again that revolutions are very difficult to predict. We have had many examples of US allies who thought they could hold on and then they were swept away,” he concluded.

Egypt’s interior ministry has warned of “decisive measures” against anti-government protests that have turned into the country’s largest uprising since President Hosni Mubarak came to power three decades ago.

US President Barack Obama called on Mubarak on Thursday to make “absolutely critical” reforms, boosting pressure on the key US ally. However, an Israeli minister said the Egyptian government will have to exercise force to rein in public protests.

The country’s prominent opposition figure, Mohamed ElBaradei, who has just arrived in Egypt form Vienna, has expressed readiness to lead the protest movement with the aim of enabling a “peaceful transition” of power.

According to opposition group, Egyptian riot police have cracked down on the anti-government protesters, killing at least nine people and arresting up to 1,200 activists in the past three days of protests.

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