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People pray in front of army tanks in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt.

It’s the seventh straight day of protests that have wracked the city of Cairo. Protesters are maintaining around-the-clock vigil in Tahrir Square as organizers hold forth with speeches, prayers and anti-government chants. They’re calling for a million people to flood the square tomorrow. Police are returning to their posts, being careful to avoid the crowds of protestors in the square. Citizens are hunkered down in their homes to avoid looting or taking to the streets with clubs to defend their shops and neighborhoods, while foreigners are mobbing the airports to try to escape the country. President Hosni Mubarak may be reconsidering his adamant refusal to give in and step down. Is this the dawn of a new era for Egypt’s government? What impact would a liberalized democracy in Egypt have on the country and the region? What role might the Muslim Brotherhood play?

Guest:

Anthony Shadid, Baghdad bureau correspondent for the New York Times, currently in Cairo

Scott MacLeod, Professor at American University of Cairo and Managing Editor of the Cairo Review of Global Affairs

Michael Rubin, resident scholar at American Enterprise Institute (AEI), major research area is the Middle East, focusing on Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Kurdish society. He also writes on transformative diplomacy and governance issues.

Michael Dunn, Editor of the Middle East Journal and blogger for The Middle East Institute

Matt Duss, National Security Editor, Center for American Progress

Qamar-ul Huda, Senior Program Officer, Religion and Peacemaking Center of Innovation, United States Institute of Peace (USIP); editor of the forthcoming book The Crescent and Dove: Critical Perspectives on Peace and Conflict Resolution in Islam, which provides a critical analysis of models of nonviolent strategies, peace building efforts, conflict resolution methods in Muslim communities.