An Egyptian morgue official says the death toll has climbed to 35 during the third straight day of violence that has turned into the most sustained challenge yet to the rule of Egypt's military. Most of the deaths were in the area around Cairo's central Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the uprising that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak in February. On Monday, young activists demanding the military hand over power to a civilian government skirmished with black-clad police, hurling stones and firebombs and throwing back the tear gas canisters being fired by police into the square.
From al-Jazeera, some observations on where the U.S. stands vis a vis Egypt as elections are planned for that nation next week:
Marina Ottaway, senior associate at the Middle East Programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the US has, so far, kept its signals about Egypt's elections relatively muted. "I think there is a lot of concern regarding this situation, because as far as the US is concerned, Mubarak is gone, and therefore, the revolution better be over now," said Ottaway, who added that Washington may be more worried about the destabilising effects of Egypt's battered economy. "The United States is not in favour of any radical change, and, in fact, has seen the presence of the military as an extremely stabilising factor there," she said. Ottaway said she believes the US is "not unhappy that the military continues to play a very important role and seem to be asserting itself more and more". Washington's decision not to question the way Egypt's ruling military government, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), has been running the country since Mubarak stepped down is perceived as a slight by many Egyptians, some of whom continue to protest the use of military tribunals against civilians and other issues.
The Christian Science Monitor with more about what's at stake in the upcoming Egyptian elections.
Copious Reason clips on matters Egyptian.
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