Henry Rollins says that the resignation of Egypt's former President Hosni Mubarak could have serious repercussions on the U.S. government's fight against terrorism.
After 30 years in office, 82-year-old Mubarak stepped down as President, following 18 days of protests in Cairo and Alexandria by hundreds of thousands of people calling for democratic reform.
"It's all well and good but what comes next there is key," says Rollins. "What is interesting to me is how much some people in America were against what happened there. That says a lot. For some, democracy spreading across Muslim countries gets in the way of the Military-Industrial Complex [a term used to describe policy and monetary relationships between legislators, national armed forces, and the industrial sector that supports them]. You can't invade a democratic country. You will no longer be able to demonise and marginalise these people. You will lose the big jewel in the fear crown: The War On Terror. When this happens, which it will, [the] USA will no longer be able to justify its military budget and aggressive global posture. Conservatives are at heart, cowards. Real freedom and democracy scares them."
Rollins believes that it will take a long time for the country to stabilise and adapt to a democratic government.
"I think they will have a grey-area interim government for a while and then an election that many will disagree with," he adds. "I think it will take a long time for things to calm down. I don't think Mubarak will try to make a comeback. That will perhaps keep some people from getting killed. It will be an interesting thing to watch."
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