World press on protests in Egypt (January 28, 2012)

Protests in Egypt are at the center of today's newspapers. The Guardian
offers live updates under the title "Egypt crisis: opposition rejects Morsi's
offer of talks" and the New York Times publishes an article entitled
"Protests Grow on Fifth Day of Unrest in Egypt."
"By imposing a one-month state of emergency in Suez, Ismailia and Port
Said, Mr. Morsi’s declaration deployed one of the most despised weapons of
Mr. Mubarak’s autocracy. Under Mubarak-era laws left in effect by the
country’s new Constitution, a state of emergency suspends the ordinary
judicial process and most civil rights. It gives the president and the
police extraordinary powers," the article by the New York Times reads.
"Mr. Morsi announced the emergency measures in a stern, finger-waving
speech on state television on Sunday evening. He said he was acting 'to
stop the blood bath' and called the violence in the streets 'the
counterrevolution itself.'"
"Mr. Morsi’s resort to the authoritarian measures of his predecessor
appeared to reflect mounting doubts about the viability of Egypt’s central
government. After decades of corruption, cronyism and brutality under Mr.
Mubarak, Egyptians have struggled to adjust to resolving their differences
— whether over matters of political ideology or crime and punishment —
through peaceful democratic channels."
"In his speech on Sunday night, Mr. Morsi praised and thanked the police
and the armed forces for their work battling the chaos. He also renewed his
invitation to his political opponents to join him in a “national dialogue,”
beginning with a meeting on Monday evening. But Mr. Abdel-Fattah, the
political scientist, was skeptical that such a dialogue could restore trust
in the government," the article concludes.