Freedom has finally come to the people of Egypt after about three weeks of protests. February 10 was believed to be the day that Mubarak would acknowledge his defeat and step down from office, instead he announced he would transfer some power to his Vice President Omar Suleiman, but would not resign or flee the country. The reaction of the crowds gathered in Tahir Square erupted with yells of, “Get out!” A full turnaround came the following day when President Mubarak (through a statement by the vice president) announced his resignation and fled the country with his wife to a resort along the Red Sea. The people of Egypt rejoiced as the hope for freedom and a long-awaited democracy became a reality.

The power has been transferred to the military who just dissolved Parliament and suspended the country’s constitution. The plan is for the military to rule the country over the course of the next six months, or until elections are held. A committee will be appointed by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to amend the constitution. Any amendments made will then be subject to a vote by the public. If all goes as planned, the Egyptian people will finally have the opportunity to experience the virtues of freedom and democracy.
    Although the fight in Egypt seems so far away from us here, it can’t be ignored that some of our most well-known and popular journalists were hurt during the riots and had to be evacuated. Anderson Cooper was attacked by pro-Mubarak fanatics. In an interview with David Letterman, Anderson recounted being hit in the head and pummeled by a group of Mubarak supporters. Katie Couric and Christiane Amanpour were also among the more notable journalists to be injured by rioters. They all seemed to survive being thrown into the middle of a war zone, yet, this proved to be more dangerous for them, a testament to the severity of the situation.