[P2P-F] local community development in Egypt

[Keith Taylor]

Kevin,

It would be great if folks from P2P want to be in touch with Omar as things develop.  What he and others are doing reminds me very much of Hayek's concept of spontaneous action... they want to create ad hoc neighborhood groups that each take on unique characteristics for their neighborhood.  From there, they hope to be connected in a loosely confederated system that trickles upward into a larger social order of some kind.  As they do so, the hope is the ea. council will learn from the successes and failures of other councils.

This is all very initial, but they are doing it!  And they have space to do so!  I mean, it MIGHT not happen, but what's most important is that the current military government is on its heels and letting folks attempt innovative governing solutions.  

Keith Taylor
Doctoral Student 
Human and Community Development 
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	
ph: (217) 689-4021


On Feb 20, 2011, at 12:52 PM, Kevin Carson wrote:

> I'm cc'ing this to the P2P Foundation's list.
> Kevin
> 
> On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 2:12 PM, Keith Taylor <taylorkeith at gmail.com> wrote:
>> My friend Omar in Egypt and I are talking about this... who knows where it
>> will go, but I am excited! Omar is a force :)
>> Keith Taylor
>> Doctoral Student
>> Human and Community Development
>> University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
>> ph: (217) 689-4021
>> 
>> 
>> Begin forwarded message:
>> 
>> From: Keith Taylor <taylorkeith at gmail.com>
>> Date: February 18, 2011 2:11:30 PM CST
>> To: Omar El Bassiouny <omarelbassiouny at gmail.com>
>> Cc: Tahreer Araj <tahreer.uiuc at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: local community development in Egypt
>> 
>> Omar,
>> AMAZING idea!
>> Personally, I think as much as possible, services should stem from the
>> community level and be collectively owned and democratically governed
>> (cooperatives!).  We know that in Egypt, there is a tendency to capture
>> resources for individualistic purposes through the government.  I think to
>> keep these services community-oriented is one approach to prevent capture by
>> special interests, and create diverse, democratic institutions throughout
>> Egypt (imagine if democracy was in the workplace AND government?!).
>> I am excited about this, Omar!
>> Keith Taylor
>> Doctoral Student
>> Human and Community Development
>> University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
>> ph: (217) 689-4021
>> 
>> 
>> On Feb 18, 2011, at 2:01 PM, Omar El Bassiouny wrote:
>> 
>> Sounds good. Below is a small intro I quickly put together on the subject:
>> 
>> People’s Committees
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Introduction:
>> 
>> Starting Friday night, January 28, Egypt witnessed a systematic withdrawal
>> of any police presence from all streets countrywide. This opened the door
>> for thugs and thieves – often armed – to roam the streets to vandalize and
>> rob stores and office buildings, and to terrorize, harm and in some cases
>> kill the local residents.
>> 
>> The dangerous situation stimulated an immediate reaction from citizens all
>> over the country to take their security in their own hands. Every street
>> organized road blocks, widely known as ‘People’s Committees’ which were
>> guarded overnight by several shifts. Creative systems were developed to
>> enable communication between neighboring road blocks.
>> 
>> In a relatively short time this efficient scheme significantly improved the
>> security situation and lead to the capture of hundreds of thieves which were
>> handed over to the army. A similar scenario, although less organized, was
>> witnessed with respect to garbage collection.
>> 
>> In general, government capabilities are limited and there is a lot of room
>> for civic participation that would enable the achievement of important
>> goals. This Egyptian experience – while somewhat extreme – highlights that
>> citizens can efficiently solve their problems when they take their matters
>> in their own hands without relying too much on the government.
>> 
>> This initiative aims to build on the ‘People’s Committees’ experience and to
>> create a sustainable local organizational scheme to empower citizens in
>> shaping their future.
>> 
>> Objectives:
>> 
>> Create a grassroots organizational structure composed of local units to
>> empower citizens and encourage activism.
>> Create a local forum for discussion and awareness
>> Community problem solving: trash, recycling, parking, utilities, etc.
>> 
>> 
>> On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 9:31 PM, Keith Taylor <taylorkeith at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Ill be on Skype at 5pm my time.  I look forward to it, Omar "Revolution"
>>> Bassiouny
>>> 
>>> Keith Taylor
>>> Doctoral Student
>>> Human and Community Development
>>> University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
>>> ph: (217) 689-4021
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Feb 18, 2011, at 1:00 PM, Omar El Bassiouny wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Hey guys,
>>>> 
>>>> I have a community development idea that I would like to discuss with
>>>> you. Let's set up a Skype conference sometime soon. Tonight would be perfect
>>>> 5-6 pm your time, but I'm also flexible otherwise.
>>>> 
>>>> Best,
>>>> Omar
>>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Kevin Carson
> Center for a Stateless Society http://c4ss.org
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> http://mutualist.blogspot.com/2005/12/studies-in-anarchist-theory-of.html