Middle East specialist Tarek Masoud explains why Egypt's Pres. Mubarak released thousands of criminals into the streets.

Here's a transcript of the exchange:

SPITZER: You have said that President Mubarak is behind the chaos in the streets in Cairo. Why do you think that is the case? And what evidence do you have for it?

MASOUD: Well, I think it's incontrovertible. This is just to give you some background, what's happening right now is that, you know, the regime pulled out the security forces from the streets. They're actually back now, but the regime had initially pulled the security forces out of the streets and opened up the prisons, allowed these thugs that the regime used to rely on to crack down on people during elections and to rough up difficult people, allowed them to run loose. And this is in order to create a kind of atmosphere of chaos. FULL POST

Egyptian blogger Ramy Raoof previews a "march of millions" organized for Tuesday (Feb. 1) in Egypt.

Check out our fascinating OFF-SET interview with Raoof, exclusive to the Parker Spitzer blog!

Links to Ramy Raoof - blog | photos | twitter  FULL POST

Aluf Benn, columnist and editor for Haaretz newspaper, says Israeli intelligence failed to predict the unrest in Egypt.

Fareed Zakaria of CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS says it is time for President Obama to tell Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak 'you have to go.' 

Here's a transcript of the exchange:

SPITZER: What are we to do? There simply seem to be no good options.

ZAKARIA: There aren't great options. And part of it is people who want the United States to be much more forthright in supporting the demonstrations have to realize.   FULL POST

ONLY ON THE BLOG: Answering our five OFF-SET Questions today is blogger Ramy Raoof, Online Media Officer for the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, and media consultant to Nazra for Feminist Studies, a women’s rights research organization.

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) is an independent Egyptian human rights organization that was established in 2002 to promote and defend the personal rights and freedoms of individuals. According to its website, “The EIPR was established to complement the work of Egyptian human rights groups by adopting as its mandate, and focus of concern, a group of rights and freedoms that are closest to the human-being: his/her body, privacy and house. These rights often are ignored or overlooked.” 

Raoof is scheduled to appear on Parker Spitzer on Monday, Jan. 31, 2011.

You have been posting images and videos of the ongoing demonstrations. What do you hope to accomplish by doing this?

The Egyptian government cracked on the internet connection & communications to limit the flow of information on the Egyptian uprise, what me and my friends are doing is despite the crackdown we are still able to publish and spread footage, information and pictures on what's happening and from the demonstration to enable all the world know what's happening and follow and to show whats really happening in Egypt. I hope to deliver our voices on what's happening.

Do you know if Egyptian authorities are monitoring your activities? Are you in danger?

I actually don't care

President Mubarak has been making new governmental appointments every day. Will this be enough of a change to make a difference?

Mubarak is actually getting the wrong message, we don't want a new government only. We want Mubarak down.

There is a call for a million people to march on Tuesday. Do you have any idea what the military will do if a million Egyptians take to the streets?

I think the military won't crackdown & attack people and peaceful assemblies.

If you could send any message to Mr. Obama, what would that be?

Nothing.

Today's Number of the Day is $900 million.

 Remember Afghanistan? Where we have 140,000 troops because that’s where we think the world will fall apart first?

Whatever the wisdom of being there in the first place, their national bank has been completely consumed by fraud — to the tune of $900 million.

To put that in perspective, given the total GDP of Afghanistan is about $14 billion (ours is $14.5 trillion), the fraud at this one bank would be equivalent to fraud at a U.S. bank equal about $900 billion. Just think about that — one bank with fraud equaling about 6% of the total GDP.

Guess who’s going to have to bail it out?

We are. Because we’re the only thing keeping the Afghan economy going.

And oh, by the way, what name runs through all the reports about fraud at this bank?

Karzai.

For more on the story:

According to The Wall Stret Journal, investigators probing massive fraud that nearly brought down Afghanistan's largest bank have found the lender avoided scrutiny for years by giving clandestine loans, bribes and other payoffs to senior government officials, said Afghan and U.S. officials and former bank insiders.

Middle East specialist Tarek Masoud is scheduled to appear on Parker Spitzer on Monday, Jan. 31, 2011.

Masoud is an assistant professor of public policy at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. A political scientist and Middle East specialist, his research focuses on political development in countries that are poor and unfree, uncovering the processes by which governments become more accountable to, representative of, and responsive to the needs of their people.

Here is an excerpt of his conversation with CNN host Fareed Zakaria on Sunday's (1-31-11) GPS: The Global Public Square:

FZ: Tarek, you have family in Egypt. You have many friends, you were just there. What is the looting about? Why is there looting taking place if these are protests against the government?

TAREK MASOUD: Well, it's not the protesters doing the looting. In fact, this, I think, indicates the quality of this regime because by all accounts that we're hearing, these are thugs that the regime used to rely on to crack down people during elections. They've let them loose. They've opened up the prisons and allowed criminals to roam the streets, and then they pulled out the police and the security forces that are under the Ministry of the Interior.

And this, I think, was to demonstrate to Egyptians, OK, if you want to protest this regime, look at the chaos that will follow. And their gamble is that the desire of normal middle class Egyptians for security and for stability will cause them perhaps to welcome a crackdown and a restoration of order. I don't think it will work. FULL POST

EGYPT PREPARES FOR A MILLION DEMONSTRATORS – Egyptian security forces have been laying down concrete barriers in front of strategic locations in central Cairo in preparation for a “million man” march planned for Tuesday. Meanwhile, The U.S. plans to begin flying thousands of Americans out of the country on Monday.

WHO IS OMAR SULEIMAN? – The new vice-president, Omar Suleiman, has emerged from the shadows in recent years to play an increasingly visible public role. While few Egyptians know many personal details about the former intelligence chief, the BBC reports, he has gained an international reputation as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians and between rival Palestinian factions. FULL POST

Social media expert Nicholas Thompson discusses unrest in Egypt with Middle East experts Irshad Manji and James Traub on "Parker Spitzer."

In the age of Facebook, what used to take years can happen in the blink of an eye, as demonstrated by unrest in Egypt. Check out this compelling montage as assembled by Lucky Gold and Marjoe Aguiling.

Click here for the very latest on the situation in Egypt and click here for live video.