You have likely seen some news coverage of the protesting in Egypt. It may be easy to think it doesn’t really affect you but everything that happens in the Middle East really does play a role in our country.

For those who aren’t aware of what is going on, let me break it down a bit. First of all, the people are protesting because they are not happy about the way things are being done in their country.

Egypt has been under the dictatorship of President Hosni Mubarak for three decades. The people of Egypt have endured a great deal of corruption with their police and have been suffering from poverty. While at one time their voices had been silenced, they are now speaking loud and clear.

In the midst of the riots and protesting, they are demanding that changes be done. They are demanding that Mubarak step down. It has become a deadly and quite violent affair.

Well all of this puts the United States in a precarious situation. Egypt, along with Mubarak, has been our ally for the past 30 years. Choosing a side is difficult.

After all, do you choose the side of Mubarak, a dictator? Can we turn our back on a leader that we have been allies with? However if we choose the side of the protestors things could get real ugly real quick.

We don’t really want to lose Egypt as our ally because of the oil and how they are a pretty strong leader when it comes to the Arab world. So we have to be really cautious about how we handle this.

As I write this, the latest update is that the violence is growing. Gunfire has erupted in Cario’s Tahir Square. Mubarak made a statement yesterday that he won’t step down; he will serve out his term. And now thousands of his supporters have taken to the streets. This will surely amplify the violence that has been going on.

Meanwhile President Obama is asking for an orderly transition to begin now. I don’t see them heeding his advice. But who will end up winning? Or can there really be any winners?

At some point the United States will have to take a side…but which side will it be?