After Mubarak: What's next for Egypt?

The lessons for the authorities in Cairo echo those learned too late in Tunis: cracking down on dissent is not so easy when social network sites and citizen bloggers can gain a global audience in a matter of days. But how does Egypt's low-profile military actually view the changes now sweeping the country?

There was probably no way for the authorities to prevent the uprising of millions of citizens in Egypt, a country characterised by staggering inequality, human rights violations and corruption. This was especially true after the uprising in neighbouring Tunisia toppled the dictatorship of President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali with such astonishing speed. In Cairo alone, there may have been as many as two million protestors at some recent rallies. A nation of usually non-confrontational people has awoken to reclaim the streets, their human rights, and their dignity.