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Cinders said:
Germs expected the correct person.
Egypt is a "republic," which means that they supposedly elect their leaders. The last elections were in 2005. I happened to be there at the time, and polling the general population (Me to Taxi Driver: "So how are you gonna vote in the elections?" "Vote?! *Disparaging/rude tongue/nose scoff*"), no one took them seriously.
Hosni Mubarak has been Egypt's dictator "president" since 1981, having served as VP from 1975 til that point. Though Egypt continued to have what they laughingly called "elections," any serious threat to Mubarek politically generally fell into trouble. Otherwise, Mubarek would always mysteriously win. Even if nobody ever voted, that guy would somehow manage to get at least 80% of the vote, if you know what I mean.
For decades and decades, the people of the Middle East have been told by their rulers that you don't go against the government. It's just not what you did. Some even tied it to religious or moral reasons, but the point is, you do not rally against the government, because you are wrong, and you will lose, and nothing will change, so don't try.
And then, a funny thing happened.
Due to several small causes, one of which is the inflation of the dinar, another is the rising cost of food, though there are many others, the citizens of Tunisia, an African/Arab/European country in between Libya and Algeria and south of Italy, decided to do exactly what they had been told not to do.
What started as disgruntled murmurs turned into people setting themselves on fire in protest, sparking a response in the people, who organized and protested their own autocrat, Ben-Ali (who has likewise been "president" of Tunisia since 87).
When Ben-Ali was ousted (he literally fled the country, his prime minister taking over), Egypt was inspired. Due to their own economic woes, in addition to being oppressed for, well, ever, the Egyptian people saw the Tunisians take the power and use it, more or less successfully (we can talk about the sticky points later).
Egypt was ignited with revolutionary fervor. But when I said you don't go against your leader in the Mid-East, I meant it. Their peaceful protests were closely watched by the army, and an angry populous + a dictator's army is just a powderkeg waiting to go off. Things are set on fire. People are gassed. People are shot. People are wounded, even killed.
So then Mubarak realizes that people are using the internet and cell phones to organize. In an effort to control that, he cuts off all web and text services, with the added bonus of being able to spin the events in Tunisia however he wants to the rest of the world, because he thinks he's cut off the people's voice.
He hasn't.
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