A year later, Bouazizi's legacy still burns

Protesters carry a coffin draped in the Tunisian flag representing martyr Mohamed Bouazizi on January 24, 2011 in Tunis, Tunisia.

Former Tunisian President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali (R) talks with Syrian President Bashar al- Al Assad (L) in Tunis on July 12, 2010. After three weeks of violent protests over rising unemployment rates, poverty levels, inflation and government repression, Ben Ali fleed the country for Saudi Arabia on January 14.

Inhabitants of the central Tunisia region of Sidi Bouzid who slept overnight near the office of the Tunisian Prime Minister in Tunis on January 24, 2011 call for the government to resign.

Tunisians hold banners during a rally on February 14, 2011 in Tunis on Valentine's Day celebrating a month of freedom.

Bouazizi's brother Salem (L), his mother Manoubia (C) and his sister Leila meet with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (not pictured) on March 22, 2011 in Tunis. The U.N. chief arrived in Tunisia late on March 21 to meet the country's transitional authorities.

A Tunisian celebrates the dissolution by a Tunisian court of the Rally for Constitutional Democacy (RCD), the former governing party of Tunisia's deposed leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in front of the palace of justice in Tunis after the announcement of the court's ruling on March 09, 2011.

A Somali family sit in a tent at a United Nations displacement camp on March 11, 2011 in Ras Jdir, Tunisia. Tens of thousands of guest workers from Egypt, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Sudan and other countries fled to the Tunisian border to escape fighting in and around the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

Tunisians show pictures of relatives who died during the revolution at a rally on March 19, 2011 in Tunis.

A beggar walks past election posters on October 19, 2011 in Tunis. Tunisians swore in a new president, secularist former human rights activist Moncef Marzouki on December 13.

HIDE CAPTION

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Tunisians celebrate the first anniversary of the uprising
• Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation spurred change
• Egyptians were emboldened by the Tunisian revolt
• Bouazizi posthumously won the Sakharov Prize

One year ago, Tunisian fruit vendor Mohamed Bouazizi torched himself out of economic despair, and the news of his desperate act spread like a brushfire across the North African country, through the rest of the Arab world and around the globe.
His plight touched a chord in Tunisia, stirring popular anger and protest. Less than a month after the self-immolation, Tunisian President Zine el Abidine ben Ali was ousted from power.
The Tunisian revolution emboldened Egyptians. Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Center and fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, constantly heard about Bouazizi and Tunisia in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. They couldn't believe that such open protest to a long-standing dictatorship could unfold. Subsequently, an Egyptian uprising took hold and President Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power.
In another corner of the Arab world, Ibrahim Mothana, a Yemeni activist, said the self-immolation and the ouster of Ben Ali stunned his fellow Yemenis because citizens actually confronted "a police state, where you cannot react." After months of massive demonstrations, Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh is now on his way out of office under a power transition plan brokered by a coalition of Gulf Arab states.
"I think he resonated everywhere," Shaikh said. "As the narrative was told, as the story was told it did strike a chord with so many Arabs."
Bouazizi was an unknown street vendor struggling to feed his family by selling fruit, earning the equivalent of barely $10 a day as he pushed his cart through the streets of Sidi Bouzid in central Tunisia.
Tunisian on life one year later: No fear
On the morning of December 17, a female municipal inspector named Faida Hamdy accosted Bouazizi. An altercation erupted during which the inspector seized Bouazizi's produce.

The man who set off revolutions

Is 'Arab Spring' a Nobel contender?

2011: Defining moment for Tunisia

After the incident, the humiliated fruit vendor repeatedly tried and failed to get the attention of town officials. Finally, he purchased fuel, doused himself with it, and lit a lethal flame outside the gates of the governorate building.
"These government inspectors used to confiscate our goods and demand bribes," says Bouazizi's uncle Ridha, who also operates a fruit cart in downtown Sidi Bouazid. "It was because of their tyranny that Mohamed set himself on fire."
Almost immediately, protests erupted in Sidi Bouzid and then quickly spread to other cities and towns across the country. Bouazizi died of his injuries in a hospital on January 4.
On Saturday, thousands of Tunisians gathered in the streets of Sidi Bouzid to celebrate the first anniversary of the uprising. A monument featuring Bouazizi's fruit stand was inaugurated and political leaders honored the man for his sacrifice.
"Thank you Sidi Bouzid, for the freedom we enjoy today," said Tunisia's new president, Moncef Marzouki.
Marwan Kraidy, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the American University in Beirut, said Bouazizi was "definitely the catalyst of the Tunisian revolt, which due to its success catalyzed the Egyptian uprising."
"The incident went viral because of the intense global media coverage of the Tunisian revolt," Kraidy said. "Every time the unfolding events were covered, readers, listeners and viewers were reminded of the fruit vendor who immolated himself and became a symbol for a population fed up with injustice and oppression."
Tunisian journalist Zied Mhirsi, who is one of the founders of a news website called tunisia-live.net and is a stringer for CNN, said local politicians helped forge the image of Bouazizi and it evolved into what has become a "universal story."
As protests unfolded after Bouazizi's self-immolation, the government could have reacted the way politicians do in the United States and other Western nations, Mhirsi said. They could have staved off popular discontent by immediately promising to look into the incident and its underlying causes and come up with a solution.
But instead, Mhirsi said, the government cracked heads and shot protesters.
"The government lost the battle when they used real bullets in a country where we did not see a gun. Here we have the government shooting people with real bullets. That was something that fueled the insurgency," Mhirsi said.

There had been other self-immolations. This one just captured the imagination of Tunisians.
Eric Goldstein

Eric Goldstein, North Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch, said there were other incidents in Tunisia that "could have lit the flame," but this one united a series of elements with which people could identify, such as day-to-day injustices and police harassment.
Bouazizi was part of a younger generation that saw no future and he came from the interior of the county, a region long neglected and the object of contempt, Goldstein said.
"He was Joe Tunisian," Goldstein said. "There had been other self-immolations. This one just captured the imagination of Tunisians, both the elites and the ordinary Tunisians."
Goldstein said it soon dawned on people across the region that if Tunisians could oust their dictator, they could do it, too. "It's not just the Bouazizi example. It was the whole Tunisian thing that happened so quickly that inspired them."
The protests that began after Bouazizi's death were apolitical and spurred by the lack of jobs.
But the president claimed the protests were stirred by terrorists and outsiders, and the government cracked down, a reaction that reflected a regime that never faced "genuine challenges from below," Goldstein said.
"Tunisians were repelled by that kind of explanation," he said.
Even though Ben Ali eventually visited Bouazizi in the hospital and said he'd create more jobs, the damage was done.
"Every step of the way he had to catch up, but he was always five steps behind," Goldstein said of Ben Ali.
Shaikh said Bouazizi was seen as a man who struggled and tried to do the right thing, Shaikh said, but he wasn't born into the right clan or elite and was under the thumb of a dictatorial regime.
The fact that he was a well-known market vendor also contributed to his story, Shaikh said, noting that "he was somebody quite well liked and struggling. Market vendors get to know a lot of people. That contributed to his recognition."
Like much of the Arab world, he was a young person who had to contend with a tilted playing field.
Mothana said the uprisings across the Arab world would have happened with or without Bouazizi's act, noting that this "didn't come out of the blue." It was a "boiling point" reflecting the range of indignities common across the region.
Outside the Arab world, people watched the uprisings unfold. Bouazizi posthumously received the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, one of five winners honored for their role in the Arab Spring.
The once-unknown fruit vendor's actions stirred hope and courage, and that, Shaikh said, is part of his legacy.
"If there are certain actions these regimes are taking which are beyond the pale, people are not willing to accept that," Shaikh said.

Syria death toll 'exceeds 5,000', says UN's Navi Pillay

 

Anti-government protests have continued daily since March

More than 5,000 people are now believed to have been killed in the uprising in Syria, the UN's top human rights official has said.

Navi Pillay told a closed session of the Security Council that 14,000 people are believed to have been arrested and 12,400 fled to neighbouring countries.
Syria's ambassador to the UN rejected the figures, saying Ms Pillay was "not objective and "not fair".
At least 20 people died in clashes on Monday, opposition activists said.
Amid the violence, local polls were held, but turnout is expected to have been very low.
Authorities said the vote had been freer than in previous years, but the opposition called for a boycott and launched a general strike.
The Syrian state news agency said people had flocked to polling stations.
But in opposition strongholds activists said there were few signs that an election was even happening, and almost no-one was voting, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in neighbouring Turkey.
Call for action
Navi Pillay described the situation in Syria as "intolerable" and said crimes against humanity had probably been committed.
Ms Pillay said her estimate of more than 5,000 deaths did not include security forces. The Syrian government has said more than 1,000 of its police and troops have been killed.

“Start Quote

Urgent, effective measures in a collective and decisive manner must be taken to protect Syrians”

Navi Pillay UN human rights chief

The Syrian ambassador at the UN, Bashar Ja'afari, said Ms Pillay has not been "genuine" in her report.

"She allowed herself to be misused in misleading the public opinion by providing information based on allegations collected from 233 defectors," he said . "How could defectors give positive testimonies on the Syrian government? Of course they will give negative testimonies against the Syrian government."
It is difficult to confirm the exact casualty toll in Syria because there are no independent monitors on the ground and Syrian authorities have not allowed the international media access to the country.
The UN official said the protesters in Syria had remained largely peaceful since the uprising erupted in March, but that attacks against Syrian government had been increasing.
Ms Pillay warned that inaction by the international community would only embolden the Syrian authorities.
The EU has imposed 10 rounds of sanctions on the Syrian government, and the Arab League has suspended it, but the UN has not yet passed a resolution condemning Damascus.
Russia and China both vetoed a European-led draft at the UN in October, while India, South Africa and Brazil have also been reluctant to support action at the Security Council.
Ms Pillay urged the Security Council to "to speak coherently with one voice. Urgent, effective measures in a collective and decisive manner must be taken to protect Syrians", she said.
After meeting Ms Pillay, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said he was "really shocked about what I heard about the atrocities in Syria".
He said countries on the Security Council that were still hesitating to condemn Damascus had to change their mind.
But Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin complained that recently the body had seen "some key members of the Security Council switch gears and turn into regime change mode.
"That of course is something which can not be conducive to a political process and that's what troubles us a great deal."
The BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington says there does not seem to be a solution in sight. As the violence continues, she says, Syria's neighbours and other countries, like the United States, France and the UK, are trying to figure out what they can actually do about it.
General strike
Fighting is said to have continued in several cities on Monday, with at least 20 people reported killed.
The Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), a network of opposition activists, said the deaths had occurred in Idlib in the north, Homs and Hama further south, and in a suburb of Damascus. Fierce fighting is also reportedly continuing in the southern province of Deraa.
Local elections were held across the country - part of President Assad's very slow, gradual and not entirely convincing reform programme announced some months ago, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Istanbul, in neighbouring Turkey.
He says the official government version of events talks of large numbers of people going to the polls, and indeed a plea from the prime minister calling on people to save the country by going out to vote.
But, he says, the picture in contested areas of Syria - in Homs, Hama, Deraa, Deir al-Zour, Idlib, even some neighbourhoods of Damascus - is one of continued protests and fighting.
The opposition called a general strike over the weekend, and much of the country has more or less shut down. Activists say little or no voting took place in these areas, and that the elections here were irrelevant.

Burned Iraqi boy's road to recovery

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Masked men doused Youssif in gas and set him on fire in 2007 in Baghdad
• Boy has undergone extensive facial reconstruction and counseling in U.S.
• Reality of immigrant life in U.S. has sunk in for family
• Youssif says he hopes to become a doctor to help others one day

Youssif shows off his "certificate of citizenship," an award given to the Iraqi boy by his school in Los Angeles for being exceptionally nice.
"One kid got hurt, and I helped him," Youssif says. Another boy had gashed his arm, and Youssif applied an ice pack and helped stop the bleeding.
He smiles and proudly clutches the award. He says he likes to help kids who get hurt because he once was.
Seeing Youssif now, it's hard to believe he's the same boy CNN met in Baghdad four years ago -- the young boy who was grabbed by masked men, doused in gas and set on fire. Gone is the sullen, angry child, the one who withdrew when asked questions about his pain and what happened that day.
He was so savagely disfigured it looked as though his face melted and then froze into rivers that cut through swollen hard flesh.
Since then, he's undergone dozens of facial reconstructive surgeries in California and been through extensive counseling with his family. He still has scars from the attack, but it's his upbeat attitude that's most impressive.
He points to a recent photo. He says his looks no longer bother him. "Because, like, none of my other friends make fun of me," he says in perfectly American-accented English.
His mother beams. "His personality has changed so much," says Zaineb. "The way he interacts with people -- everything. It began as soon as he started school and realized that the children don't care about his appearance. It allowed him to have a normal life."
'The skin melted off'
Youssif, now 9, no longer remembers the details of that horrific day in Baghdad.

Doctors say they have been most impressed by Youssif's mental recovery.

It was January 15, 2007, the same day the "surge" of American troops began in the Iraqi capital to cut down on sectarian violence that plagued Baghdad.
Youssif played outside. His mother was upstairs when she heard her boy screaming. She rushed outside. "I thought someone was fighting or something," Zaineb said in 2007.
When the mother first saw her son on fire, she fainted. When she awoke, she barely recognized him. "His head was so swollen, you couldn't see his eyes, and his nose was pushed in.
"The skin was melted off."
Youssif's mom: Why my son?
He spent two months in an Iraqi hospital, where he received primitive care. His father, Wissam, was determined to get his son help. He pleaded with doctors and government officials -- anyone -- to give his son proper medical care. No one would listen. Doctors told the family there was little they could do to help the child.
His dad ended up on CNN's doorstep in Baghdad, desperate to tell his son's story, anything to help get his little boy's smile back.
When CNN first aired Youssif's story, viewers around the world responded to the family's plea, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Children's Burn Foundation, a Los Angeles-based foundation that took on his case.
His mental recovery has by far outpaced his physical one. He still needs more surgeries. Treating Youssif has been challenging, his doctors say, because his skin tends not to heal well. His doctors want to slow down the pace of surgeries for now to determine how his scar tissue and skin will develop and change as he gets older.
He loves soccer and plays on a local team. "I never used to do that in my country," he says, "because it was kind of dangerous there."
He wants to be a doctor so he can help others when he grows up.
Immigrant life in the U.S.

Youssif walks along the California beach with CNN's Arwa Damon, who first told the boy's story in 2007.

Life in the United States hasn't been easy. The family remains grateful for those who've helped them on their journey, but the realities of an immigrant family have sunk in.
The family struggles on their father's salary of $9 an hour as a security guard. To help make ends meet, they receive welfare and food stamps. Youssif's surgeries are covered by California Children's Services, as they be would for other children with disabilities who live in the state.
The family, which has political asylum, has expanded since arriving in the U.S. -- baby Mustafa was born two years ago. Youssif and his 5-year-old sister, Aya, hope to become American citizens one day, too.
Youssif's family arrives in U.S.
The family lives in a cramped one-bedroom apartment. Youssif and his sister sleep on the floor.
"I am trying to just help my kids, let them live like a normal life. It's very hard for them," Wissam said.
On a recent outing at a California beach, Youssif raced along the water's edge. He stopped and scooped up a sand ball. "You better not get close. This is a muddy one," he said.
I armed myself with seaweed. He ran shrieking toward the water. "This is going to be more fun than last time," he said.
The last time was when the family first arrived in the United States in September 2007. Youssif had never seen the ocean before: He laughed and giggled every time the waves crashed against his feet.
The ocean still brings that healing quality. Between our sand ball fights, Youssif grows reflective. He's lived nearly half his life in the U.S. He loves it here, but he's still desperately homesick. He wishes he could go back to Iraq.
"Because it's kind of my country, and I miss everyone I used to know there."
Yet he and his family know a return home will likely not come anytime soon. Youssif's father says family members back in Iraq say it remains far too dangerous. "They tell me it's still not safe. Sometimes when I tell them, 'I wish I could visit you,' they say, 'No, you cannot come.' "
And with U.S. troops preparing for their final pullout by the end of the year, the family worries they may never be able to go back home.

Burned Iraqi boy's road to recovery

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Masked men doused Youssif in gas and set him on fire in 2007 in Baghdad
• Boy has undergone extensive facial reconstruction and counseling in U.S.
• Reality of immigrant life in U.S. has sunk in for family
• Youssif says he hopes to become a doctor to help others one day

Youssif shows off his "certificate of citizenship," an award given to the Iraqi boy by his school in Los Angeles for being exceptionally nice.
"One kid got hurt, and I helped him," Youssif says. Another boy had gashed his arm, and Youssif applied an ice pack and helped stop the bleeding.
He smiles and proudly clutches the award. He says he likes to help kids who get hurt because he once was.
Seeing Youssif now, it's hard to believe he's the same boy CNN met in Baghdad four years ago -- the young boy who was grabbed by masked men, doused in gas and set on fire. Gone is the sullen, angry child, the one who withdrew when asked questions about his pain and what happened that day.
He was so savagely disfigured it looked as though his face melted and then froze into rivers that cut through swollen hard flesh.
Since then, he's undergone dozens of facial reconstructive surgeries in California and been through extensive counseling with his family. He still has scars from the attack, but it's his upbeat attitude that's most impressive.
He points to a recent photo. He says his looks no longer bother him. "Because, like, none of my other friends make fun of me," he says in perfectly American-accented English.
His mother beams. "His personality has changed so much," says Zaineb. "The way he interacts with people -- everything. It began as soon as he started school and realized that the children don't care about his appearance. It allowed him to have a normal life."
'The skin melted off'
Youssif, now 9, no longer remembers the details of that horrific day in Baghdad.

Doctors say they have been most impressed by Youssif's mental recovery.

It was January 15, 2007, the same day the "surge" of American troops began in the Iraqi capital to cut down on sectarian violence that plagued Baghdad.
Youssif played outside. His mother was upstairs when she heard her boy screaming. She rushed outside. "I thought someone was fighting or something," Zaineb said in 2007.
When the mother first saw her son on fire, she fainted. When she awoke, she barely recognized him. "His head was so swollen, you couldn't see his eyes, and his nose was pushed in.
"The skin was melted off."
Youssif's mom: Why my son?
He spent two months in an Iraqi hospital, where he received primitive care. His father, Wissam, was determined to get his son help. He pleaded with doctors and government officials -- anyone -- to give his son proper medical care. No one would listen. Doctors told the family there was little they could do to help the child.
His dad ended up on CNN's doorstep in Baghdad, desperate to tell his son's story, anything to help get his little boy's smile back.
When CNN first aired Youssif's story, viewers around the world responded to the family's plea, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Children's Burn Foundation, a Los Angeles-based foundation that took on his case.
His mental recovery has by far outpaced his physical one. He still needs more surgeries. Treating Youssif has been challenging, his doctors say, because his skin tends not to heal well. His doctors want to slow down the pace of surgeries for now to determine how his scar tissue and skin will develop and change as he gets older.
He loves soccer and plays on a local team. "I never used to do that in my country," he says, "because it was kind of dangerous there."
He wants to be a doctor so he can help others when he grows up.
Immigrant life in the U.S.

Youssif walks along the California beach with CNN's Arwa Damon, who first told the boy's story in 2007.

Life in the United States hasn't been easy. The family remains grateful for those who've helped them on their journey, but the realities of an immigrant family have sunk in.
The family struggles on their father's salary of $9 an hour as a security guard. To help make ends meet, they receive welfare and food stamps. Youssif's surgeries are covered by California Children's Services, as they be would for other children with disabilities who live in the state.
The family, which has political asylum, has expanded since arriving in the U.S. -- baby Mustafa was born two years ago. Youssif and his 5-year-old sister, Aya, hope to become American citizens one day, too.
Youssif's family arrives in U.S.
The family lives in a cramped one-bedroom apartment. Youssif and his sister sleep on the floor.
"I am trying to just help my kids, let them live like a normal life. It's very hard for them," Wissam said.
On a recent outing at a California beach, Youssif raced along the water's edge. He stopped and scooped up a sand ball. "You better not get close. This is a muddy one," he said.
I armed myself with seaweed. He ran shrieking toward the water. "This is going to be more fun than last time," he said.
The last time was when the family first arrived in the United States in September 2007. Youssif had never seen the ocean before: He laughed and giggled every time the waves crashed against his feet.
The ocean still brings that healing quality. Between our sand ball fights, Youssif grows reflective. He's lived nearly half his life in the U.S. He loves it here, but he's still desperately homesick. He wishes he could go back to Iraq.
"Because it's kind of my country, and I miss everyone I used to know there."
Yet he and his family know a return home will likely not come anytime soon. Youssif's father says family members back in Iraq say it remains far too dangerous. "They tell me it's still not safe. Sometimes when I tell them, 'I wish I could visit you,' they say, 'No, you cannot come.' "
And with U.S. troops preparing for their final pullout by the end of the year, the family worries they may never be able to go back home.

Burned Iraqi boy's road to recovery

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Masked men doused Youssif in gas and set him on fire in 2007 in Baghdad
• Boy has undergone extensive facial reconstruction and counseling in U.S.
• Reality of immigrant life in U.S. has sunk in for family
• Youssif says he hopes to become a doctor to help others one day

Youssif shows off his "certificate of citizenship," an award given to the Iraqi boy by his school in Los Angeles for being exceptionally nice.
"One kid got hurt, and I helped him," Youssif says. Another boy had gashed his arm, and Youssif applied an ice pack and helped stop the bleeding.
He smiles and proudly clutches the award. He says he likes to help kids who get hurt because he once was.
Seeing Youssif now, it's hard to believe he's the same boy CNN met in Baghdad four years ago -- the young boy who was grabbed by masked men, doused in gas and set on fire. Gone is the sullen, angry child, the one who withdrew when asked questions about his pain and what happened that day.
He was so savagely disfigured it looked as though his face melted and then froze into rivers that cut through swollen hard flesh.
Since then, he's undergone dozens of facial reconstructive surgeries in California and been through extensive counseling with his family. He still has scars from the attack, but it's his upbeat attitude that's most impressive.
He points to a recent photo. He says his looks no longer bother him. "Because, like, none of my other friends make fun of me," he says in perfectly American-accented English.
His mother beams. "His personality has changed so much," says Zaineb. "The way he interacts with people -- everything. It began as soon as he started school and realized that the children don't care about his appearance. It allowed him to have a normal life."
'The skin melted off'
Youssif, now 9, no longer remembers the details of that horrific day in Baghdad.

Doctors say they have been most impressed by Youssif's mental recovery.

It was January 15, 2007, the same day the "surge" of American troops began in the Iraqi capital to cut down on sectarian violence that plagued Baghdad.
Youssif played outside. His mother was upstairs when she heard her boy screaming. She rushed outside. "I thought someone was fighting or something," Zaineb said in 2007.
When the mother first saw her son on fire, she fainted. When she awoke, she barely recognized him. "His head was so swollen, you couldn't see his eyes, and his nose was pushed in.
"The skin was melted off."
Youssif's mom: Why my son?
He spent two months in an Iraqi hospital, where he received primitive care. His father, Wissam, was determined to get his son help. He pleaded with doctors and government officials -- anyone -- to give his son proper medical care. No one would listen. Doctors told the family there was little they could do to help the child.
His dad ended up on CNN's doorstep in Baghdad, desperate to tell his son's story, anything to help get his little boy's smile back.
When CNN first aired Youssif's story, viewers around the world responded to the family's plea, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Children's Burn Foundation, a Los Angeles-based foundation that took on his case.
His mental recovery has by far outpaced his physical one. He still needs more surgeries. Treating Youssif has been challenging, his doctors say, because his skin tends not to heal well. His doctors want to slow down the pace of surgeries for now to determine how his scar tissue and skin will develop and change as he gets older.
He loves soccer and plays on a local team. "I never used to do that in my country," he says, "because it was kind of dangerous there."
He wants to be a doctor so he can help others when he grows up.
Immigrant life in the U.S.

Youssif walks along the California beach with CNN's Arwa Damon, who first told the boy's story in 2007.

Life in the United States hasn't been easy. The family remains grateful for those who've helped them on their journey, but the realities of an immigrant family have sunk in.
The family struggles on their father's salary of $9 an hour as a security guard. To help make ends meet, they receive welfare and food stamps. Youssif's surgeries are covered by California Children's Services, as they be would for other children with disabilities who live in the state.
The family, which has political asylum, has expanded since arriving in the U.S. -- baby Mustafa was born two years ago. Youssif and his 5-year-old sister, Aya, hope to become American citizens one day, too.
Youssif's family arrives in U.S.
The family lives in a cramped one-bedroom apartment. Youssif and his sister sleep on the floor.
"I am trying to just help my kids, let them live like a normal life. It's very hard for them," Wissam said.
On a recent outing at a California beach, Youssif raced along the water's edge. He stopped and scooped up a sand ball. "You better not get close. This is a muddy one," he said.
I armed myself with seaweed. He ran shrieking toward the water. "This is going to be more fun than last time," he said.
The last time was when the family first arrived in the United States in September 2007. Youssif had never seen the ocean before: He laughed and giggled every time the waves crashed against his feet.
The ocean still brings that healing quality. Between our sand ball fights, Youssif grows reflective. He's lived nearly half his life in the U.S. He loves it here, but he's still desperately homesick. He wishes he could go back to Iraq.
"Because it's kind of my country, and I miss everyone I used to know there."
Yet he and his family know a return home will likely not come anytime soon. Youssif's father says family members back in Iraq say it remains far too dangerous. "They tell me it's still not safe. Sometimes when I tell them, 'I wish I could visit you,' they say, 'No, you cannot come.' "
And with U.S. troops preparing for their final pullout by the end of the year, the family worries they may never be able to go back home.

Burned Iraqi boy's road to recovery

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Masked men doused Youssif in gas and set him on fire in 2007 in Baghdad
• Boy has undergone extensive facial reconstruction and counseling in U.S.
• Reality of immigrant life in U.S. has sunk in for family
• Youssif says he hopes to become a doctor to help others one day

Youssif shows off his "certificate of citizenship," an award given to the Iraqi boy by his school in Los Angeles for being exceptionally nice.
"One kid got hurt, and I helped him," Youssif says. Another boy had gashed his arm, and Youssif applied an ice pack and helped stop the bleeding.
He smiles and proudly clutches the award. He says he likes to help kids who get hurt because he once was.
Seeing Youssif now, it's hard to believe he's the same boy CNN met in Baghdad four years ago -- the young boy who was grabbed by masked men, doused in gas and set on fire. Gone is the sullen, angry child, the one who withdrew when asked questions about his pain and what happened that day.
He was so savagely disfigured it looked as though his face melted and then froze into rivers that cut through swollen hard flesh.
Since then, he's undergone dozens of facial reconstructive surgeries in California and been through extensive counseling with his family. He still has scars from the attack, but it's his upbeat attitude that's most impressive.
He points to a recent photo. He says his looks no longer bother him. "Because, like, none of my other friends make fun of me," he says in perfectly American-accented English.
His mother beams. "His personality has changed so much," says Zaineb. "The way he interacts with people -- everything. It began as soon as he started school and realized that the children don't care about his appearance. It allowed him to have a normal life."
'The skin melted off'
Youssif, now 9, no longer remembers the details of that horrific day in Baghdad.

Doctors say they have been most impressed by Youssif's mental recovery.

It was January 15, 2007, the same day the "surge" of American troops began in the Iraqi capital to cut down on sectarian violence that plagued Baghdad.
Youssif played outside. His mother was upstairs when she heard her boy screaming. She rushed outside. "I thought someone was fighting or something," Zaineb said in 2007.
When the mother first saw her son on fire, she fainted. When she awoke, she barely recognized him. "His head was so swollen, you couldn't see his eyes, and his nose was pushed in.
"The skin was melted off."
Youssif's mom: Why my son?
He spent two months in an Iraqi hospital, where he received primitive care. His father, Wissam, was determined to get his son help. He pleaded with doctors and government officials -- anyone -- to give his son proper medical care. No one would listen. Doctors told the family there was little they could do to help the child.
His dad ended up on CNN's doorstep in Baghdad, desperate to tell his son's story, anything to help get his little boy's smile back.
When CNN first aired Youssif's story, viewers around the world responded to the family's plea, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Children's Burn Foundation, a Los Angeles-based foundation that took on his case.
His mental recovery has by far outpaced his physical one. He still needs more surgeries. Treating Youssif has been challenging, his doctors say, because his skin tends not to heal well. His doctors want to slow down the pace of surgeries for now to determine how his scar tissue and skin will develop and change as he gets older.
He loves soccer and plays on a local team. "I never used to do that in my country," he says, "because it was kind of dangerous there."
He wants to be a doctor so he can help others when he grows up.
Immigrant life in the U.S.

Youssif walks along the California beach with CNN's Arwa Damon, who first told the boy's story in 2007.

Life in the United States hasn't been easy. The family remains grateful for those who've helped them on their journey, but the realities of an immigrant family have sunk in.
The family struggles on their father's salary of $9 an hour as a security guard. To help make ends meet, they receive welfare and food stamps. Youssif's surgeries are covered by California Children's Services, as they be would for other children with disabilities who live in the state.
The family, which has political asylum, has expanded since arriving in the U.S. -- baby Mustafa was born two years ago. Youssif and his 5-year-old sister, Aya, hope to become American citizens one day, too.
Youssif's family arrives in U.S.
The family lives in a cramped one-bedroom apartment. Youssif and his sister sleep on the floor.
"I am trying to just help my kids, let them live like a normal life. It's very hard for them," Wissam said.
On a recent outing at a California beach, Youssif raced along the water's edge. He stopped and scooped up a sand ball. "You better not get close. This is a muddy one," he said.
I armed myself with seaweed. He ran shrieking toward the water. "This is going to be more fun than last time," he said.
The last time was when the family first arrived in the United States in September 2007. Youssif had never seen the ocean before: He laughed and giggled every time the waves crashed against his feet.
The ocean still brings that healing quality. Between our sand ball fights, Youssif grows reflective. He's lived nearly half his life in the U.S. He loves it here, but he's still desperately homesick. He wishes he could go back to Iraq.
"Because it's kind of my country, and I miss everyone I used to know there."
Yet he and his family know a return home will likely not come anytime soon. Youssif's father says family members back in Iraq say it remains far too dangerous. "They tell me it's still not safe. Sometimes when I tell them, 'I wish I could visit you,' they say, 'No, you cannot come.' "
And with U.S. troops preparing for their final pullout by the end of the year, the family worries they may never be able to go back home.

Syria unrest: 'Dozens of bodies found dumped' in Homs

Despite the Arab League's efforts, the violence is

At least 34 people have been abducted and killed by pro-government militias in the city of Homs, activists say.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights quoted witnesses as saying the bodies had been found dumped in a square in the restive city on Monday.
The claim has not been independently verified, as most foreign media are banned from entering Syria.
Meanwhile, Damascus says it responded "positively" to an Arab League plan aimed at ending months of unrest.
Foreign ministry spokesman Jihad al-Makdisi told reporters a letter by President Bashar al-Assad's government had been sent to the Cairo-based league, adding that he expected a deal to be signed soon.
He spoke after the expiry of the league's latest deadline for Damascus to agree to its peace plan and allow in observers to monitor it or face the imposition of further sanctions approved last week.

The Arab League secretary general confirmed receipt of the letter, saying it contained new elements which were now being studied.
Syria is under pressure to end its crackdown on an uprising the UN says has left more than 4,000 people dead since the unrest began in March.
On Monday, the Observatory quoted witnesses as saying that the bodies of at least 34 people were seen in a square in Homs.
It said victims - many of them civilians - had been seized by pro-Assad militiamen from districts opposed to the government.
Government forces have laid siege to Homs for several months.
Earlier this week, UN Human Rights Council strongly condemned the "gross and systematic" violations by Syrian forces, and said it was appointing a special investigator to report on the ongoing crackdown.
President Assad's government says it is fighting armed gangs.

Syria unrest: 'Dozens of bodies found dumped' in Homs

Despite the Arab League's efforts, the violence is

At least 34 people have been abducted and killed by pro-government militias in the city of Homs, activists say.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights quoted witnesses as saying the bodies had been found dumped in a square in the restive city on Monday.
The claim has not been independently verified, as most foreign media are banned from entering Syria.
Meanwhile, Damascus says it responded "positively" to an Arab League plan aimed at ending months of unrest.
Foreign ministry spokesman Jihad al-Makdisi told reporters a letter by President Bashar al-Assad's government had been sent to the Cairo-based league, adding that he expected a deal to be signed soon.
He spoke after the expiry of the league's latest deadline for Damascus to agree to its peace plan and allow in observers to monitor it or face the imposition of further sanctions approved last week.

The Arab League secretary general confirmed receipt of the letter, saying it contained new elements which were now being studied.
Syria is under pressure to end its crackdown on an uprising the UN says has left more than 4,000 people dead since the unrest began in March.
On Monday, the Observatory quoted witnesses as saying that the bodies of at least 34 people were seen in a square in Homs.
It said victims - many of them civilians - had been seized by pro-Assad militiamen from districts opposed to the government.
Government forces have laid siege to Homs for several months.
Earlier this week, UN Human Rights Council strongly condemned the "gross and systematic" violations by Syrian forces, and said it was appointing a special investigator to report on the ongoing crackdown.
President Assad's government says it is fighting armed gangs.

Syria unrest: 'Dozens of bodies found dumped' in Homs

Despite the Arab League's efforts, the violence is

At least 34 people have been abducted and killed by pro-government militias in the city of Homs, activists say.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights quoted witnesses as saying the bodies had been found dumped in a square in the restive city on Monday.
The claim has not been independently verified, as most foreign media are banned from entering Syria.
Meanwhile, Damascus says it responded "positively" to an Arab League plan aimed at ending months of unrest.
Foreign ministry spokesman Jihad al-Makdisi told reporters a letter by President Bashar al-Assad's government had been sent to the Cairo-based league, adding that he expected a deal to be signed soon.
He spoke after the expiry of the league's latest deadline for Damascus to agree to its peace plan and allow in observers to monitor it or face the imposition of further sanctions approved last week.

The Arab League secretary general confirmed receipt of the letter, saying it contained new elements which were now being studied.
Syria is under pressure to end its crackdown on an uprising the UN says has left more than 4,000 people dead since the unrest began in March.
On Monday, the Observatory quoted witnesses as saying that the bodies of at least 34 people were seen in a square in Homs.
It said victims - many of them civilians - had been seized by pro-Assad militiamen from districts opposed to the government.
Government forces have laid siege to Homs for several months.
Earlier this week, UN Human Rights Council strongly condemned the "gross and systematic" violations by Syrian forces, and said it was appointing a special investigator to report on the ongoing crackdown.
President Assad's government says it is fighting armed gangs.

Syria unrest: 'Dozens of bodies found dumped' in Homs

Despite the Arab League's efforts, the violence is

At least 34 people have been abducted and killed by pro-government militias in the city of Homs, activists say.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights quoted witnesses as saying the bodies had been found dumped in a square in the restive city on Monday.
The claim has not been independently verified, as most foreign media are banned from entering Syria.
Meanwhile, Damascus says it responded "positively" to an Arab League plan aimed at ending months of unrest.
Foreign ministry spokesman Jihad al-Makdisi told reporters a letter by President Bashar al-Assad's government had been sent to the Cairo-based league, adding that he expected a deal to be signed soon.
He spoke after the expiry of the league's latest deadline for Damascus to agree to its peace plan and allow in observers to monitor it or face the imposition of further sanctions approved last week.

The Arab League secretary general confirmed receipt of the letter, saying it contained new elements which were now being studied.
Syria is under pressure to end its crackdown on an uprising the UN says has left more than 4,000 people dead since the unrest began in March.
On Monday, the Observatory quoted witnesses as saying that the bodies of at least 34 people were seen in a square in Homs.
It said victims - many of them civilians - had been seized by pro-Assad militiamen from districts opposed to the government.
Government forces have laid siege to Homs for several months.
Earlier this week, UN Human Rights Council strongly condemned the "gross and systematic" violations by Syrian forces, and said it was appointing a special investigator to report on the ongoing crackdown.
President Assad's government says it is fighting armed gangs.

Egyptian Military Apologizes for Protester Deaths

Egypt's military is aplogizing for the deaths of at least 35 protesters in a series of clashes with police this week.

The apology was issued as a fragile truce took hold in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which had been a flashpoint for the violent skirmishes between police and protesters calling for the country's miltary rulers to step down immediately.

Army troops used metal bars and barbed wire to separate protesters and police along a street that has seen some of the most intense clashes.  Meanwhile, the statement from the country's military rulers promised to bring those responsible for the death to justice.

The latest clashes erupted early Thursday east of Cairo, in Ismailia, a city along Egypt's Suez Canal. Some protesters hurled Molotov cocktails at troops who moved through the streets in armored vehicles and tanks to the steady sound of gunfire.

Some protesters accused the military of more unprovoked violence.

"We were holding prayers, they gassed us and then fired bullets while we were running away," one protester said.

In the coastal city of Alexandria late Wednesday, protesters set up barricades and hurled stones at police.  Others held hands in front of military buildings and chanted "freedom."

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Wednesday urged Egyptian authorities to end what she called "clearly excessive force against protesters" called images of the brutal beatings of subdued protesters "deeply shocking."

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, has pledged to speed the transition to civilian rule with presidential elections before July 2012.

Parliamentary elections are set to begin on Monday and Tantawi pledged the polls would go forward as planned.  But many opposition leaders believe that to be increasingly doubtful.

Meanwhile, Egyptian authorities said Wednesday three American students arrested during protests in Cairo earlier this week are being questioned by local police in the presence of a lawyer and a U.S. embassy official.

Egyptian media report that the three, all students at American University in Cairo, were detained along with other protesters while throwing petrol bombs at police.

No formal charges have been brought against the students, who insisted they did nothing wrong.

Egyptian Military Apologizes for Protester Deaths

Egypt's military is aplogizing for the deaths of at least 35 protesters in a series of clashes with police this week.

The apology was issued as a fragile truce took hold in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which had been a flashpoint for the violent skirmishes between police and protesters calling for the country's miltary rulers to step down immediately.

Army troops used metal bars and barbed wire to separate protesters and police along a street that has seen some of the most intense clashes.  Meanwhile, the statement from the country's military rulers promised to bring those responsible for the death to justice.

The latest clashes erupted early Thursday east of Cairo, in Ismailia, a city along Egypt's Suez Canal. Some protesters hurled Molotov cocktails at troops who moved through the streets in armored vehicles and tanks to the steady sound of gunfire.

Some protesters accused the military of more unprovoked violence.

"We were holding prayers, they gassed us and then fired bullets while we were running away," one protester said.

In the coastal city of Alexandria late Wednesday, protesters set up barricades and hurled stones at police.  Others held hands in front of military buildings and chanted "freedom."

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Wednesday urged Egyptian authorities to end what she called "clearly excessive force against protesters" called images of the brutal beatings of subdued protesters "deeply shocking."

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, has pledged to speed the transition to civilian rule with presidential elections before July 2012.

Parliamentary elections are set to begin on Monday and Tantawi pledged the polls would go forward as planned.  But many opposition leaders believe that to be increasingly doubtful.

Meanwhile, Egyptian authorities said Wednesday three American students arrested during protests in Cairo earlier this week are being questioned by local police in the presence of a lawyer and a U.S. embassy official.

Egyptian media report that the three, all students at American University in Cairo, were detained along with other protesters while throwing petrol bombs at police.

No formal charges have been brought against the students, who insisted they did nothing wrong.

Egyptian Military Apologizes for Protester Deaths

Egypt's military is aplogizing for the deaths of at least 35 protesters in a series of clashes with police this week.

The apology was issued as a fragile truce took hold in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which had been a flashpoint for the violent skirmishes between police and protesters calling for the country's miltary rulers to step down immediately.

Army troops used metal bars and barbed wire to separate protesters and police along a street that has seen some of the most intense clashes.  Meanwhile, the statement from the country's military rulers promised to bring those responsible for the death to justice.

The latest clashes erupted early Thursday east of Cairo, in Ismailia, a city along Egypt's Suez Canal. Some protesters hurled Molotov cocktails at troops who moved through the streets in armored vehicles and tanks to the steady sound of gunfire.

Some protesters accused the military of more unprovoked violence.

"We were holding prayers, they gassed us and then fired bullets while we were running away," one protester said.

In the coastal city of Alexandria late Wednesday, protesters set up barricades and hurled stones at police.  Others held hands in front of military buildings and chanted "freedom."

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Wednesday urged Egyptian authorities to end what she called "clearly excessive force against protesters" called images of the brutal beatings of subdued protesters "deeply shocking."

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, has pledged to speed the transition to civilian rule with presidential elections before July 2012.

Parliamentary elections are set to begin on Monday and Tantawi pledged the polls would go forward as planned.  But many opposition leaders believe that to be increasingly doubtful.

Meanwhile, Egyptian authorities said Wednesday three American students arrested during protests in Cairo earlier this week are being questioned by local police in the presence of a lawyer and a U.S. embassy official.

Egyptian media report that the three, all students at American University in Cairo, were detained along with other protesters while throwing petrol bombs at police.

No formal charges have been brought against the students, who insisted they did nothing wrong.

Egyptian Military Apologizes for Protester Deaths

Egypt's military is aplogizing for the deaths of at least 35 protesters in a series of clashes with police this week.

The apology was issued as a fragile truce took hold in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which had been a flashpoint for the violent skirmishes between police and protesters calling for the country's miltary rulers to step down immediately.

Army troops used metal bars and barbed wire to separate protesters and police along a street that has seen some of the most intense clashes.  Meanwhile, the statement from the country's military rulers promised to bring those responsible for the death to justice.

The latest clashes erupted early Thursday east of Cairo, in Ismailia, a city along Egypt's Suez Canal. Some protesters hurled Molotov cocktails at troops who moved through the streets in armored vehicles and tanks to the steady sound of gunfire.

Some protesters accused the military of more unprovoked violence.

"We were holding prayers, they gassed us and then fired bullets while we were running away," one protester said.

In the coastal city of Alexandria late Wednesday, protesters set up barricades and hurled stones at police.  Others held hands in front of military buildings and chanted "freedom."

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Wednesday urged Egyptian authorities to end what she called "clearly excessive force against protesters" called images of the brutal beatings of subdued protesters "deeply shocking."

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, has pledged to speed the transition to civilian rule with presidential elections before July 2012.

Parliamentary elections are set to begin on Monday and Tantawi pledged the polls would go forward as planned.  But many opposition leaders believe that to be increasingly doubtful.

Meanwhile, Egyptian authorities said Wednesday three American students arrested during protests in Cairo earlier this week are being questioned by local police in the presence of a lawyer and a U.S. embassy official.

Egyptian media report that the three, all students at American University in Cairo, were detained along with other protesters while throwing petrol bombs at police.

No formal charges have been brought against the students, who insisted they did nothing wrong.

Egypt battles show revolution's unfinished business

Egyptian protesters throw stones during clashes with security forces on Monday in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: 24 people have died in recent protester-police clashes, a spokesman says
• "This is about creating a whole new order," analyst says
• Many in Egypt want to determine the role of the military now, another analyst says
• The opposition is divided about upcoming elections, an analyst says

 -- When Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down in February, tens of thousands packed into Cairo's Tahrir Square to declare victory and a new beginning. Nine months later, thousands have returned to the same spot, calling for something similar: the resignation of the country's military leadership.
The violence once again gripping the Egyptian capital shows that the uprising the world watched months ago was only a step on a long road, analysts said Monday.
"The revolution is unfinished," said Samer Shehata, an Egypt expert with Georgetown University.
Robin Wright of the U.S. Institute of Peace said Egypt's uprising is in "phase two" -- and highlights a broad reality of the so-called Arab Spring.
"This is far more complicated than simply ousting a single leader," she said. "This is about creating a whole new order in the region."
Protesters are standing up against the military rulers who officially took over after Mubarak's ouster.
After having held a great deal of power under Mubarak, the military openly took control.
Military leaders have said they will transfer power to an elected government. But while the complex electoral process is set to begin with next week's parliamentary elections, the presidential vote could be a year away.
Egyptian Cabinet resigns amid protests, violence
Protesters say they fear that the entrenched military, which served under Mubarak, is working to maintain a grip on society.
While protests have been common in Egypt in recent weeks, the tensions have boiled over since Saturday with clashes between security forces and protesters.
Four days later, the demonstrators showed no signs of letting down after violence that had left 24 people dead and at least 1,700 wounded, according to Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Adil al-Dawi. About 100 police officers and conscripts, meanwhile, had been hurt, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.
Many in the streets are furious about a proposed constitutional change that would shield the military's budget from scrutiny by civilian powers. They say they worry the military would be shaped as a state within a state.
"The real question is the role of the military in Egypt," said Shibley Telhami of the University of Maryland and the Brookings Institution.
"A lot of the segments of society -- the forces behind the revolution -- want that to be decided now rather than later," he said.
Mistrust of the military has expanded in recent months, he said. In the earlier days after Mubarak's ouster, the military "was careful" to give demonstrators "enough to defuse" tensions, Telhami said. But military rulers "have grown far more confident over the past three months" and less responsive to demands, he said.
The protesters appear to want their voices heard now to ensure the military does not avoid civilian oversight.
"I think that this is undoubtedly a defining moment," Telhami said.
Last week, Telhami released the results of a survey, conducted in October, that found 43% of Egyptians believe military rulers are working to slow or reverse gains of the revolution, while 21% say military rulers want to advance those gains.
Georgetown's Shehata said the opposition is divided over the electoral process ahead. Some elements want elections to proceed as scheduled, while others say they don't trust the process to be free of military influence, and that any elections now would be farcical.
"The revolution has been subverted by the military," Shehata said.
Egypt can build a functioning democracy and "has the institutions necessary for democracy," he said.
"It's not that (the Egyptian people) are incapable of being democratic. It's that the forces that are opposed to them right now have the guns."
Wright said the confrontation under way in Cairo "has been looming for a long time because the military has refused to follow through on its own promises to facilitate Egypt's transition to democracy."
Military rulers extended martial law and pushed back presidential elections, while implementing a parliamentary electoral system that "may rank as the most complicated in the world -- and is ripe for manipulation," she said. "And it has tried critics of its actions in military courts."
She added, "The military's moves to try to quell the phase two of Egypt's uprising -- whether through the use of force or tepid and unconvincing political compromises -- only make the situation more combustible."
The events in Egypt serve as a reminder that protest movements in other Arab nations are still "in an early phase," Wright said. "There's a lot more turmoil ahead."

Egypt battles show revolution's unfinished business

Egyptian protesters throw stones during clashes with security forces on Monday in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: 24 people have died in recent protester-police clashes, a spokesman says
• "This is about creating a whole new order," analyst says
• Many in Egypt want to determine the role of the military now, another analyst says
• The opposition is divided about upcoming elections, an analyst says

 -- When Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down in February, tens of thousands packed into Cairo's Tahrir Square to declare victory and a new beginning. Nine months later, thousands have returned to the same spot, calling for something similar: the resignation of the country's military leadership.
The violence once again gripping the Egyptian capital shows that the uprising the world watched months ago was only a step on a long road, analysts said Monday.
"The revolution is unfinished," said Samer Shehata, an Egypt expert with Georgetown University.
Robin Wright of the U.S. Institute of Peace said Egypt's uprising is in "phase two" -- and highlights a broad reality of the so-called Arab Spring.
"This is far more complicated than simply ousting a single leader," she said. "This is about creating a whole new order in the region."
Protesters are standing up against the military rulers who officially took over after Mubarak's ouster.
After having held a great deal of power under Mubarak, the military openly took control.
Military leaders have said they will transfer power to an elected government. But while the complex electoral process is set to begin with next week's parliamentary elections, the presidential vote could be a year away.
Egyptian Cabinet resigns amid protests, violence
Protesters say they fear that the entrenched military, which served under Mubarak, is working to maintain a grip on society.
While protests have been common in Egypt in recent weeks, the tensions have boiled over since Saturday with clashes between security forces and protesters.
Four days later, the demonstrators showed no signs of letting down after violence that had left 24 people dead and at least 1,700 wounded, according to Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Adil al-Dawi. About 100 police officers and conscripts, meanwhile, had been hurt, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.
Many in the streets are furious about a proposed constitutional change that would shield the military's budget from scrutiny by civilian powers. They say they worry the military would be shaped as a state within a state.
"The real question is the role of the military in Egypt," said Shibley Telhami of the University of Maryland and the Brookings Institution.
"A lot of the segments of society -- the forces behind the revolution -- want that to be decided now rather than later," he said.
Mistrust of the military has expanded in recent months, he said. In the earlier days after Mubarak's ouster, the military "was careful" to give demonstrators "enough to defuse" tensions, Telhami said. But military rulers "have grown far more confident over the past three months" and less responsive to demands, he said.
The protesters appear to want their voices heard now to ensure the military does not avoid civilian oversight.
"I think that this is undoubtedly a defining moment," Telhami said.
Last week, Telhami released the results of a survey, conducted in October, that found 43% of Egyptians believe military rulers are working to slow or reverse gains of the revolution, while 21% say military rulers want to advance those gains.
Georgetown's Shehata said the opposition is divided over the electoral process ahead. Some elements want elections to proceed as scheduled, while others say they don't trust the process to be free of military influence, and that any elections now would be farcical.
"The revolution has been subverted by the military," Shehata said.
Egypt can build a functioning democracy and "has the institutions necessary for democracy," he said.
"It's not that (the Egyptian people) are incapable of being democratic. It's that the forces that are opposed to them right now have the guns."
Wright said the confrontation under way in Cairo "has been looming for a long time because the military has refused to follow through on its own promises to facilitate Egypt's transition to democracy."
Military rulers extended martial law and pushed back presidential elections, while implementing a parliamentary electoral system that "may rank as the most complicated in the world -- and is ripe for manipulation," she said. "And it has tried critics of its actions in military courts."
She added, "The military's moves to try to quell the phase two of Egypt's uprising -- whether through the use of force or tepid and unconvincing political compromises -- only make the situation more combustible."
The events in Egypt serve as a reminder that protest movements in other Arab nations are still "in an early phase," Wright said. "There's a lot more turmoil ahead."

Egypt battles show revolution's unfinished business

Egyptian protesters throw stones during clashes with security forces on Monday in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: 24 people have died in recent protester-police clashes, a spokesman says
• "This is about creating a whole new order," analyst says
• Many in Egypt want to determine the role of the military now, another analyst says
• The opposition is divided about upcoming elections, an analyst says

 -- When Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down in February, tens of thousands packed into Cairo's Tahrir Square to declare victory and a new beginning. Nine months later, thousands have returned to the same spot, calling for something similar: the resignation of the country's military leadership.
The violence once again gripping the Egyptian capital shows that the uprising the world watched months ago was only a step on a long road, analysts said Monday.
"The revolution is unfinished," said Samer Shehata, an Egypt expert with Georgetown University.
Robin Wright of the U.S. Institute of Peace said Egypt's uprising is in "phase two" -- and highlights a broad reality of the so-called Arab Spring.
"This is far more complicated than simply ousting a single leader," she said. "This is about creating a whole new order in the region."
Protesters are standing up against the military rulers who officially took over after Mubarak's ouster.
After having held a great deal of power under Mubarak, the military openly took control.
Military leaders have said they will transfer power to an elected government. But while the complex electoral process is set to begin with next week's parliamentary elections, the presidential vote could be a year away.
Egyptian Cabinet resigns amid protests, violence
Protesters say they fear that the entrenched military, which served under Mubarak, is working to maintain a grip on society.
While protests have been common in Egypt in recent weeks, the tensions have boiled over since Saturday with clashes between security forces and protesters.
Four days later, the demonstrators showed no signs of letting down after violence that had left 24 people dead and at least 1,700 wounded, according to Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Adil al-Dawi. About 100 police officers and conscripts, meanwhile, had been hurt, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.
Many in the streets are furious about a proposed constitutional change that would shield the military's budget from scrutiny by civilian powers. They say they worry the military would be shaped as a state within a state.
"The real question is the role of the military in Egypt," said Shibley Telhami of the University of Maryland and the Brookings Institution.
"A lot of the segments of society -- the forces behind the revolution -- want that to be decided now rather than later," he said.
Mistrust of the military has expanded in recent months, he said. In the earlier days after Mubarak's ouster, the military "was careful" to give demonstrators "enough to defuse" tensions, Telhami said. But military rulers "have grown far more confident over the past three months" and less responsive to demands, he said.
The protesters appear to want their voices heard now to ensure the military does not avoid civilian oversight.
"I think that this is undoubtedly a defining moment," Telhami said.
Last week, Telhami released the results of a survey, conducted in October, that found 43% of Egyptians believe military rulers are working to slow or reverse gains of the revolution, while 21% say military rulers want to advance those gains.
Georgetown's Shehata said the opposition is divided over the electoral process ahead. Some elements want elections to proceed as scheduled, while others say they don't trust the process to be free of military influence, and that any elections now would be farcical.
"The revolution has been subverted by the military," Shehata said.
Egypt can build a functioning democracy and "has the institutions necessary for democracy," he said.
"It's not that (the Egyptian people) are incapable of being democratic. It's that the forces that are opposed to them right now have the guns."
Wright said the confrontation under way in Cairo "has been looming for a long time because the military has refused to follow through on its own promises to facilitate Egypt's transition to democracy."
Military rulers extended martial law and pushed back presidential elections, while implementing a parliamentary electoral system that "may rank as the most complicated in the world -- and is ripe for manipulation," she said. "And it has tried critics of its actions in military courts."
She added, "The military's moves to try to quell the phase two of Egypt's uprising -- whether through the use of force or tepid and unconvincing political compromises -- only make the situation more combustible."
The events in Egypt serve as a reminder that protest movements in other Arab nations are still "in an early phase," Wright said. "There's a lot more turmoil ahead."

Egypt battles show revolution's unfinished business

Egyptian protesters throw stones during clashes with security forces on Monday in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: 24 people have died in recent protester-police clashes, a spokesman says
• "This is about creating a whole new order," analyst says
• Many in Egypt want to determine the role of the military now, another analyst says
• The opposition is divided about upcoming elections, an analyst says

 -- When Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down in February, tens of thousands packed into Cairo's Tahrir Square to declare victory and a new beginning. Nine months later, thousands have returned to the same spot, calling for something similar: the resignation of the country's military leadership.
The violence once again gripping the Egyptian capital shows that the uprising the world watched months ago was only a step on a long road, analysts said Monday.
"The revolution is unfinished," said Samer Shehata, an Egypt expert with Georgetown University.
Robin Wright of the U.S. Institute of Peace said Egypt's uprising is in "phase two" -- and highlights a broad reality of the so-called Arab Spring.
"This is far more complicated than simply ousting a single leader," she said. "This is about creating a whole new order in the region."
Protesters are standing up against the military rulers who officially took over after Mubarak's ouster.
After having held a great deal of power under Mubarak, the military openly took control.
Military leaders have said they will transfer power to an elected government. But while the complex electoral process is set to begin with next week's parliamentary elections, the presidential vote could be a year away.
Egyptian Cabinet resigns amid protests, violence
Protesters say they fear that the entrenched military, which served under Mubarak, is working to maintain a grip on society.
While protests have been common in Egypt in recent weeks, the tensions have boiled over since Saturday with clashes between security forces and protesters.
Four days later, the demonstrators showed no signs of letting down after violence that had left 24 people dead and at least 1,700 wounded, according to Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Adil al-Dawi. About 100 police officers and conscripts, meanwhile, had been hurt, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.
Many in the streets are furious about a proposed constitutional change that would shield the military's budget from scrutiny by civilian powers. They say they worry the military would be shaped as a state within a state.
"The real question is the role of the military in Egypt," said Shibley Telhami of the University of Maryland and the Brookings Institution.
"A lot of the segments of society -- the forces behind the revolution -- want that to be decided now rather than later," he said.
Mistrust of the military has expanded in recent months, he said. In the earlier days after Mubarak's ouster, the military "was careful" to give demonstrators "enough to defuse" tensions, Telhami said. But military rulers "have grown far more confident over the past three months" and less responsive to demands, he said.
The protesters appear to want their voices heard now to ensure the military does not avoid civilian oversight.
"I think that this is undoubtedly a defining moment," Telhami said.
Last week, Telhami released the results of a survey, conducted in October, that found 43% of Egyptians believe military rulers are working to slow or reverse gains of the revolution, while 21% say military rulers want to advance those gains.
Georgetown's Shehata said the opposition is divided over the electoral process ahead. Some elements want elections to proceed as scheduled, while others say they don't trust the process to be free of military influence, and that any elections now would be farcical.
"The revolution has been subverted by the military," Shehata said.
Egypt can build a functioning democracy and "has the institutions necessary for democracy," he said.
"It's not that (the Egyptian people) are incapable of being democratic. It's that the forces that are opposed to them right now have the guns."
Wright said the confrontation under way in Cairo "has been looming for a long time because the military has refused to follow through on its own promises to facilitate Egypt's transition to democracy."
Military rulers extended martial law and pushed back presidential elections, while implementing a parliamentary electoral system that "may rank as the most complicated in the world -- and is ripe for manipulation," she said. "And it has tried critics of its actions in military courts."
She added, "The military's moves to try to quell the phase two of Egypt's uprising -- whether through the use of force or tepid and unconvincing political compromises -- only make the situation more combustible."
The events in Egypt serve as a reminder that protest movements in other Arab nations are still "in an early phase," Wright said. "There's a lot more turmoil ahead."