Good riddance to Mubarak, now take on the military

Bye Bye Mubarak from Ramy Rizkallah on Vimeo.

Mubarak is gone - congratulations to the Egyptian people! The video above, shot by Egyptian film-maker Ramy Rizkallah, captures the celebrations shortly after the announcement that Mubarak was stepping down.

Egyptians' courageous protests have been a great inspiration. Hopefully, their example will stir others in the region and around the world to demand real democracy and self-determination.    

While a big step forward, Mubarak's departure puts power in the hands of the military. And if the protests subside as a result, that means (for the time being at least) that the military - rather than the people - will be driving events. As I mentioned in my last post, army rule is antithesis of democracy (indeed, I"m having trouble thinking of a time when power shifting to the military has been so celebrated). Let's hope the Egyptian people realize that the power to bring true democracy is in their hands, that the military is an obstacle to democracy not an ally, and that they keep the pressure on.