“ Hawass, who was secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities from 2002 until his promotion 2 weeks ago to the new position of minister of antiquities, has also been an outspoken supporter of the deposed president and close friend to Mubarak’s wife, Suzanne. As recently as last week, he publicly expressed strong support for the former government. One Western archaeologist closely monitoring the situation gives him a “a 50-50 chance” of surviving. But others say that his international stature and importance to the Egyptian tourism business put the odds on his side. One U.S. commentator even suggested, tongue-in-cheek, that Hawass be promoted to prime minister, in part because of his international fame. 5 notes