February 3, 2011 1:08 PM EST
Egypt wants freedom from the oppressive regime of President Hosni Mubarak. But as one dictator is in the process of being ousted, Egyptians should make sure that another -- in the form of the Muslim Brotherhood or the military -- doesn't take his place.
Sure, Egypt's riots were sparked by economic difficulties (like high food prices and unemployment). However, the fundamental problem and the root cause for the passionate outpouring of anger is that Mubarak rules by force, not consent.
He has stayed in power for 30 years despite the fact that he's clearly unpopular. Contrary to the opinion of US Vice President Biden, Mubarak is a bonafide dictator.
Why is dictatorship a bad thing?
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One, the dictator, his family, his allies, and his enforcers (e.g. the secret police force) loot, steal, and abuse the people; they rule at the expense of the general population.
Two, the dictator is more interested in keeping his power than improving the lives of the people. Some politicians in democracies are guilty of doing the same thing, i.e. their number one priority is to get re-elected so they manipulate public opinion.
For dictators, though, this tendency usually manifests in the form of bolstering the state police force and cracking down on freedoms.
Three, if the people want a change of government, the dictator won't allow it. This is the most basic problem of dictatorships.
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