Egyptian Sandmonkey in The Globe and Mail

My interview with the Canadian newspaper the Globe and mail is finally published and online. Sitting at his computer terminal in the tree-lined Cairo neighbourhood of Zamalek, the man who calls himself Sandmonkey sees little to get enthused about. To him, Egypt isn't really getting more open and democratic; the ruling regime is just getting smarter about how it presents itself to the West. Instead of holding single-candidate referendums as in 1987, 1993 and 1999 -- which saw Mr. Mubarak returned with 90-per-cent-plus results that were scorned internationally -- he and many other denizens of Egypt's vibrant "blogosphere" say they believe the regime is going through the motions of a rigged election so the 77-year-old strongman can be a more palatable friend to his allies in Washington. Mediawhore, moi? Blasphemy! Read the whole thing!