Ecological University of Bucharest

1. Ecological University of Bucharest Communication management in times of crisis Crisis in Egypt at the beginning of 2011 Săceanu Anișoara Iulia Master Programme (II) - Communication and Public Relations

2. Egypt - BBC country profile GENERAL FACTS • Full name: Arab Republic of Egypt • Population: 84.5 million (UN, 2010) • Capital: Cairo • Area: 1 million sq km (386,874 sq miles) • Major language: Arabic • Major religions: Islam, Christianity • Life expectancy: 69 years (men), 73 years (women) (UN) • Monetary unit: 1 Egyptian Pound = 100 piastres • Main exports: Petroleum, petroleum products and cotton • GNI per capita: US $2,070 (World Bank, 2009) • Internet domain: .eg • International dialing code: +20

3.  Egypt - Short history While best known for its pyramids and ancient civilizations, Egypt has played a central role in Middle East politics in modern times. Its wars with Israel in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973, then its eventual peace with its adversary in 1979, have seen Egypt move from being a warring nation to become a key representative in the peace process. Politics: President Hosni Mubarak has been in power since 1981; his strongest challenger has been the Muslim Brotherhood which is tolerated but officially banned Economy: The Egyptian economy is the second largest in the Arab world after Saudi Arabia International: Egypt has been a key ally of the West; it has played a key role in efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

4. Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

5. Censoring online speech & media Massive civil unrest in Egypt - prompted by the recent Tunisian uprising - has been hitting the headlines in recent days, and once again, the role of the internet in the developing situation has come under scrutiny. In its attempts to quell the uprising, the Egyptian government has been blocking social networks such as Twitter, which played a key role in the Iranian election crisis of 2009. Arbor Network shows online impact of  Egypt crisis The above visualization of internet traffic into Egypt yesterday evening comes courtesy of network security firm Arbor Networks, and clearly shows the moment when the country literally fell off the internet.

6. Punishing the rest of the world Vodafone, which is bound by the Egyptian authorities to give pro-government SMS. London is apologizing but is enable to stop it. Also, all mobile companies in Egypt were ordered by the authorities to suspend services in some areas, while many Western journalists and photographers who conveyed news about protests in Cairo were detained briefly. Four French journalists, but a BBC reporter and photographer from AFP were arrested during the riots

7. Casualties Tourism crisis Food crisis National security breach Human victims It seems that more than 40% of the Egypt`s people have to live with 1$ a day or even less. Prisoners flood streets in mass jailbreaks -around 6.000 prisoners break from several jails. Foreigners repatriated, 150 dead and 4,000 people wounded Many flights were canceled

8. Regional stability and security Americans on both sides of crisis Among those who appealed for calm included the president  Barack Obama. Through a  statement, the White House leader asked those involved  to refrain from violence and to achieve concrete reforms of the state. However, a series ofdiplomatic telegrams made public Friday by the website  Wikileaks shows how valuable it was Mubarak's regime as an ally in Washington's confrontation with Iran. World Leaders call for peace Note: The U.S. provides Egypt with over $1 billion in military and economic aid annually, largely because of its 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

9. Mubarak still in crisis recognition phase New Vice-President - Omar Suleiman It was the first time Mubarak had named a successor in the 30 years he's been in power. Earlier, Mubarak, 82, appeared on national television and urged calm and an end to the demonstrations. He said he dissolved his government and promised to appoint a new government. But the people feel differently. They are still protesting

10. Crisis Communication involves four main activities: • Risk assessment • Crisis communication planning • Analytical answer • State recovery If you have to analyze the stages of a crisis you would definitely realize that president Mubarak ignored the prodomal period –when you identified the causes of an imminent crisis. The result = more stages to follow: crisis containment, busines resumption, post-crisis.

11. Bibliography Websites books • http://www.microscope.co.uk/blogs/network_noise/2011/01/arbor-networks-shows-online-impact-of-egypt-crisis.html • http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7300165n&tag=contentMain;contentBody • http://www.ukprogressive.co.uk/ukprogressives-live-twitter-feed-on-egyptian-crisis/article10466.html • http://www.ziarulring.ro/stiri/24179/bilant-sangeros-in-egipt-150-de-morti-si-4000-de-raniti • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egypt • http://www.egyptdailynews.com • COMUNICAREA ORGANIZAŢIONALĂ ŞI MANAGEMENTUL SITUAŢIILOR DE CRIZĂ pages 132-136) by dr. TUDOREL NICULAE ; drd. ION GHERGHIŢĂ ; masterand DIANA GHERGHIŢĂ , edited by Editura Ministerului Administraţiei şi Internelor , 2006