Open Thread: Unrest in Egypt

I don't have any incisive commentary at the moment; right now, I'm just watching it all unfold. Here's some recommended reading:

The Guardian—Protests in Egypt: Live Updates. This is an excellent resource.

AP—Egypt imposes night curfew after day of riots: "President Hosni Mubarak imposed a night curfew and signaled he was about to send the military out in the streets for the first time to quell an unprecedented challenge to his regime by tens of thousands of protesters who rioted on Friday. One demonstrator was killed and even a Nobel Peace laureate was placed under house arrest after joining the protests."

The Guardian—Egypt cuts off internet access: "Egypt appears to have cut off almost all access to the internet from inside and outside the country from late on Thursday night, in a move that has concerned observers of the protests that have been building in strength through the week."

Al Jazeera—Fresh protests erupt in Egypt:

Before Egypt shut down internet access on Thursday night, activists were posting and exchanging messages using social networking services such as Facebook and Twitter, listing more than 30 mosques and churches where protesters were to organise on Friday.

"Egypt's Muslims and Christians will go out to fight against corruption, unemployment and oppression and absence of freedom," a page with more than 70,000 signatories said.

The Associated Press news agency reported that an elite special counterterrorism force had been deployed at strategic points around Cairo, and Egypt's interior ministry warned of "decisive measures".

The Atlantic—Egyptian Activists' Action Plan: Translated.

The Guardian—Egyptian government on last legs, says ElBaradei: "The Egyptian dissident Mohamed ElBaradei warned President Hosni Mubarak today that his regime is on its last legs, as tens of thousands of people prepared to take to the streets for a fourth day of anti-government protests."

David Dayen—United States appears perplexed with how to address this issue: "While President Obama said in a YouTube interview yesterday that activists should 'have mechanisms in order to express legitimate grievances,' and that Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, while an ally, should move forward on economic and political reform, Vice President Biden said that Mubarak was not a dictator and highlighted the strategic relationship between Egypt and the US. Meanwhile, the New York Times dug into its cache of Wikileaks cables and revealed how the Obama Administration took a non-confrontational approach to Egypt during the early days of the Presidency."

Abdulrahman El-Sayed—President Obama, the Egyptian people must hear your voice: "If you meant [that you will support human rights everywhere], and and if you believe in the cause of 'political reform' in Egypt which you spoke of on Thursday, there are 80 million people who need to hear you say them loud and clear. As an American, I ask you to support these freedom fighters because not only is it in our American self-interest to promote democracy in the Middle East, but this is the only avenue our ideals will allow us. As an Egyptian, I ask you to support them because I know, firsthand, the injustice that the Mubarak regime has inflicted, and because I dream that some day my 80 million Egyptian brothers and sisters will enjoy the same dignity and freedom that my 300 million American brothers and sisters do."

Also: Waves of Unrest Spread to Yemen, Shaking a Region.