NorthernLad

I've heard the army has started to take over and secure some cities and airports and the president is preparing to make a speech. Petrol in short supply and people are stocking up in food as demonstrations are happening on 30th June.

weasel decentral

Just left there yesterday, petrol and diesel are in very short supply. There were queues kilometres long into some of the petrol stations in Cairo along the ring road.

There is a very low number of petrol stations in the city in general anyhow compared to the size of the population.

Anyhow will be interesting to see if anything actually happens on the 30th, could be the usual amount of hot air and stone throwing but not much else.

Millhouse

I think it will start tomorrow or maybe even tonight. The people are so excited and Mosi has a speech to do this evening...Army taking sides with the protestors. Super stuff.

At least it delays the project I've been working on - something I've been asking the client to do but it happens naturally now

weasel decentral

Well personally (not that I want a bloodbath) but I hope it does kick off, its about time the population woke up.

Millhouse

I know many Egyptians who want the same. A good friend of mine wants a famine to hit the country* - their view is that without hitting rock bottom they cannot get up.


* which isn't that unlikely - given that they import 40% of their food and have no money. If the Nile is damned then they'll have to import more too.

Boomhauer

Some of the Brotherhood gov. members wanted to bomb the dam Ethiopia is building and or support rebels fighting the Ethiopian gov.

Millhouse

If I was an Egyptian, I would agree with this.

Egypt is a desert supported by water from the Nile. They are the largest population and have built their way of life (rightly or wrongly) based on water from it.

Damning it up stream would be like taking away the UK's ability to import oil. Going to war would make sense.

Problem is that damn is partially financed and constructed by the Chinese. I can't see the Egyptians really coming out of that fight.

OleJanx

Freudian slip?

shiva

From what I can gather most Egyptians are pissed of with morsi. Even pro Muslim brotherhood taxi drivers were looking forward to the protest as they want morsi to resign.
Egypt is deeply ****ed to the point the government are making grand communist style claims about a bumper wheat crop magically up 30% in a year when farmers are complaining that they have record low harvests .

Always a good indicator that things are ****ed when Stalinist or tactics are being used

Millhouse

I guess they would be.

shiva

The old treaty completely screwed every other country and I can't say I blame them for wanting to change things. Could be the first water war of many to come though

Millhouse

I think you and I have predicted water wars before... Pakistan is next (assuming the Nile one is a given)

As I understand the old british water treaties, they only went as far as Sudan. The source countries never ratified them so they do not feel they are breaking any rules.

Personally, I'd like to put on a nice linen suit and draw up the battle lines again. Start where our forefathers finish.

shiva

the Chinese beat us to it. they have already placed a ruddy great flag in africa and are busy buying it instead of fighting for it. clever buggers really

scrubbedexpat141

They've got a billion labourers and piles of cash though....struggle to compete with that.

shiva

Their methodology is sheet genius. Use their cash to fund infrastructure projects in countries who can't afford to do so themselves whilst paying the money back to Chinese companies and thus getting a chunk of the cash back in tax. All whilst securing farming land and mineral rights for China and appearing to be the good guy.

Sheet bloody genius and modern colonisation by stealth. There is a reason that China was the world largest economy for 1700 years out of the last 2000.

For the countries "benefiting" from this there is a shocking wake up still to come but by then it will be too late