Tahrir Square

The U.S. consul general in Cairo met Wednesday with the three American students accused of throwing firebombs from a rooftop during pro-democracy protests in Tahrir Square. The three, including Drexel University student Gregory Porter, 19, of Glenside, were arrested Monday by Egypt's military. "They are safe and being treated well," Drexel president John A. Fry said in a statement after being briefed about the Cairo meeting. The students were questioned by Egyptian authorities, said Fry, "but no charges have been filed.

A Drexel University student - one of three Americans arrested Monday during massive pro-democracy protests in Cairo - is a formidable debater with a long-standing interest in world events, his former teachers said. Gregory Porter, 19, of Glenside, was detained by security forces along with two fellow study-abroad students at the American University in Cairo. Egyptian officials accused them of throwing firebombs from a rooftop within the university compound at police fighting with demonstrators near Tahrir Square.

As young revolutionaries once again battle Egyptian security forces in Tahrir Square, only one group stands to emerge victorious from the melee: the Islamist cadres of the Muslim Brotherhood. Although the current violence has pitted revolutionary youth against the army, the real tussle is between the Brotherhood and the council of generals that is now ruling the country. Unable to think strategically, and (mercifully) unwilling to murder thousands, the generals have been outfoxed by the Islamists.

GREG PORTER was known at La Salle College High School for his debating prowess, finishing seventh in a national contest one year. Perhaps today, the Glenside native, now 19, might use his skills to talk himself out of charges brought against him and two other U.S. collegians by the Egyptian authorities. Porter, a Drexel University sophomore studying at the American University in Cairo, was arrested Monday night during the chaos of the Tahrir Square protests, Drexel announced in a news release.

CAIRO - Egypt's cabinet offered its resignation Monday to Egypt's transitional military rulers as security forces carried out an increasingly lethal crackdown on three days of street protests, reviving the uncertainty about Egypt's future that marked the earliest days of the Arab Spring. Egypt's military had been seen as the linchpin of the political transition after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. It was the institution that Egypt's Islamists hoped would steer the country to early elections they were poised to dominate.

A Drexel University student - one of three Americans arrested Monday during massive pro-democracy protests in Cairo - is a formidable debater with a long-standing interest in world events, his former teachers said. Gregory Porter, 19, of Glenside, was detained by security forces along with two fellow study-abroad students at the American University in Cairo. Egyptian officials accused them of throwing firebombs from a rooftop within the university compound at police fighting with demonstrators near Tahrir Square.

CAIRO - Egypt plunged deeper into political crisis just eight days before elections as security forces attacked protesters and torched their tents Sunday in unrest that appears headed toward a second uprising, this time against Egypt's military rulers. Thousands of young Egyptians battled security forces for a second day in the streets surrounding Tahrir Square, the nerve center of the revolt that brought down President Hosni Mubarak in February and left the military in charge of Egypt.

CAIRO - A police action intended to roust a few hundred protesters out of Tahrir Square instead drew thousands of people into the streets Saturday, where they battled riot police for hours in the most violent manifestation yet of the growing anger at the military-led interim government. Coming just nine days before the scheduled beginning of parliamentary elections, the clashes were the biggest since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in February. Even as the military appeared to soften its demands for special powers and protections in the future Egyptian Constitution, a major complaint of the protesters, the crowd only grew as word of the clashes spread.

CAIRO - The massive crowds of rebellious youths have long since left Tahrir Square, which is jammed again with honking cars and trucks stuck in endless gridlock. Egypt's revolution is stuck in gridlock, too, trapped by a standoff between seculars and Islamists. The Egyptian military is worsening the tensions. As elections approach, the generals are trying to ensure they will continue their dominant role even after the voting. Why have things gone so wrong? I asked three leaders of the Tahrir revolt - whom I had interviewed during the heady days of the Arab Spring.

Nine months ago, I witnessed the electric atmosphere in Tahrir Square as ordinary Egyptians celebrated their new freedoms. I'm returning to the Mideast this week, at a time when the mood is much more somber, and fears of instability and economic chaos haunt the region. I'll travel to Tunisia, which is holding the first elections since the Arab rebellions began, and then to Egypt, where elections begin in November. In both countries, Islamist parties are the strongest. I'll also visit Israel and the Palestinian West Bank, where, for the first time in decades, the peace process has ended.