People Power Revolution

The mass protests in the Egypt now, following Tunisia, remind me somewhat of the People Power movement in the Philippines which culminated in the overrun of the Malacanang in 1986.

In that case, business elites who had been shut out of power during the Marcos period were able to stage a counter-revolution, leaving the country miserably poor to this day. This is mostly because the Communist party - as the most visible representative of the Left - boycotted elections in 1986 which would have seen them probably gain a plurality of the vote. Keep in mind, the party's military wing controlled most of the countryside and had a strong presence in the slums of the major cities at that time. What exists now is less than a shadow. The US backed Marcos nearly until the end just as they are backing Mubarak now. The big question is whether factions of the business elite will be able to stage a counter-revolution when Mubarak steps down - as I believe he will have to. Or if the system is toppled and something much more humane put in its place.