Open Thread: Revolution in Egypt

UPDATE: Mubarak has resigned! Watch all the cheering and celebration in Tahrir Square live here.

After Mubarak's stunning speech yesterday, in which he was expected to resign but did not, everyone's left wondering: What now? I sure as fuck don't know.

Mark Lynch—Responding to the Worst Speech Ever: "I don't think anyone really knows how things will break in the next 12-36 hours. It seems pretty clear that most people, from the Obama administration to Egyptian government and opposition leaders, expected Mubarak to announce his departure [last night]—and that they had good reasons to believe that. That turned out to be wrong. As I just mentioned on the BBC, I don't think anybody knows what's going on inside Mubarak's head right now, though he certainly seems out of touch with what is really going on. I suspect that his decision may have changed from earlier in the day, and that people inside the Egyptian military and regime are themselves scrambling to figure out their next move."

New York Times—Mubarak Reportedly Leaves Cairo: "Angry protesters, who had swarmed by the thousands into the streets here Friday morning, were hardly mollified by the news of Mr. Mubarak's exit and an accompanying statement by the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces over state television and radio indicating that the military, not Mr. Mubarak, was in effective control of the country. They said they would not believe he was gone until he had formally relinquished his title as president, and until his handpicked successor, Vice President Omar Suleiman, had been ousted as well."

Guardian—Egyptian army backs Hosni Mubarak and calls for protesters to go home:

The Egyptian military has thrown its weight behind Hosni Mubarak's decision not to resign as president and to transfer most of his powers to his vice-president.

In a statement read out on Friday morning, the military announced it would lift a 30-year-old state of emergency "as soon as current circumstances end", but gave no specific timeframe.

The statement – called "Communique No 2" – also said the military would guarantee changes to the constitution as well as a free and fair election, and it called for normal business activity to resume.

Lifting the state of emergency was a key demand of the demonstrators, but the decision to back Mubarak's process of slow transition is likely to enrage the protesters who have massed in Cairo's Tahrir Square and elsewhere every day for more than two weeks.

The army said it would protect the nation but repeated a call for protesters to go home so life could return to normal; protests and strikes have had a serious effect on the Egyptian economy.

Meanwhile, in the US...

The transcript of President Obama's response to Mubarak's speech is here.

New York Times—Obama Faces a Stark Choice on Mubarak: "President Hosni Mubarak's refusal to step down on Thursday, after a day of rumors galvanized the crowds in Cairo, confronts the Obama administration with a stark choice: break decisively with Mr. Mubarak or stick to its call for an 'orderly transition' that may no longer be tenable."

Reuters—Obama calls Mubarak's latest move insufficient: "President Barack Obama said on Thursday Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's statement that he would hand over power to his vice president was not enough to meet the demands of protesters clamoring for democratic change. Hours after Mubarak's refusal to resign provoked rage among protesters in Cairo, Obama said that Egyptians 'remain unconvinced that the government is serious about a genuine transition to democracy'."

He does have a flair for the understatement, doesn't he?