There are many parallels between Egypt and the U.S. during Obama's campaign and presidency. In both countries there was widespread unhappiness, primarily regarding the economy. The president was swept out of office by thousands, if not millions, of people who had never been involved in politics before. Following was a sense of euphoria at the ouster of the old regime, but so were elevated expectations for quick solutions to a variety of problems.
Unfortunately for the people of Egypt, the economy, culture of corruption, and absence of human rights will not be ameliorated overnight. Much like Obama's supporters who are relatively new to politics, those that participating in the January 25th protests will find that politics are a grind and solutions will necessitate compromise. It's hard to say how much of the energy of the protests will dissipate over time, especially if the 30 year old state of emergency persists and no substantial constitutional reforms are made.
The protesters have in their favor an incredible capacity to organize and motivate. It seems as though the demonstrators will persevere to dismantle the kabuki democracy that Mubarak had in place. It will be interesting to see what role Mohamed ElBaradei and Wael Ghonim will have in the future.
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