Many of the Egyptian protesters dislike President Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood party as much as the dictator, Hosni Mubarak, whom he replaced. But the instability caused by the fall of the last regime and anger with the current one has opened the door to a free market experiment in the nation’s capitol.
Joseph Hammond reports from Cairo for Doublethink (which I edit):
In the past few months, as the clashes have grown more bitter, Tahrir Square entrepreneurs have been focusing on new products: Surgical masks – the kind most commonly scene on the face of your local dentist — are a hot seller on Tahrir. These Chinese-made strips of gauze are used as impromptu gas masks.
One such vendor is Samer, a young man who has recently been selling gas masks on the edge of clashes. “I know each year there will be clashes on January 25th,” Samer tells Doublethink. His price is determined by demand. “If you can smell the gas as you exit the metro, I charge a guinea and a half; otherwise, it’s a guinea,” Samer explains.
Read the whole thing here.
