Cairo , Egypt ( CNN ) -- Thousands of people who filled the streets of Cairo Tuesday hope their demonstrations against corruption and failing economic policies will cause upheaval in the government , like the similar protests in Tunisia that inspired them . But analysts caution that in Egypt , the protesters are up against a different set of challenges . Juan Cole , a Middle East historian at the University of Michigan and blogger , describes Tunisia as `` a little bit unique . '' `` There have been lots of civil wars . There 's been lots of societies in turmoil . But this kind of phenomenon where you had crowds peacefully coming into the streets to demand a change in their own contract with their government -- in the Arab world proper , this is the first time it 's happened and it 's the first time since 1979 in the Middle East , '' Cole told CNN last week . He noted that Tunisia is the `` most secular country in the Arab world . '' Its traditions have favored women 's rights and its Islamist influence is negligible . Tunisia also lacked the oil resources of other Arab states and the ethnic divisions seen in other Middle Eastern countries , which make it harder for opposition movements to unite , he noted . Looking at the protests Tuesday in Cairo , Mamoun Fandy of the International Institute for Strategic Studies told CNN he was not seeing a `` turning point or tipping point yet . '' Noting the strength of the army , he said , `` The Egyptian system is too strong and too resilient . '' A key question that will show the potential strength of the demonstrations Tuesday is whether hardcore protesters will stay through the night , or whether the rallies will fizzle down , he said . Eric Trager , a Ph.D. candidate in political science at the University of Pennsylvania and a former Fulbright fellow in Egypt , wrote in The Atlantic , `` Egypt 's liberal activists overwhelmingly come from the wired generation of Twitter and Facebook , and this makes them optimistic that pro-democratic movements can go viral , even in a political environment as traditionally illiberal as the Middle East ... Yet Egyptian activists face tremendous odds -- in particular , an entrenched dictatorship that is determined to discredit the very idea of domino-effect democratization . '' Time.com published a story Thursday from writer Abigail Hauslohner in Cairo headlined , `` After Tunisia : Why Egypt Is n't Ready to Have Its Own Revolution . '' Some Egyptians `` believe the time is now '' for protests to bring about change like in Tunisia , and several people in Egypt have set themselves on fire or attempted to in recent days -- much like the self-immolation of a young unemployed man in Tunisia that sparked protests in that country , she writes . `` But in Egypt , it does n't go much deeper than that . '' A greater percentage of Egypt 's population than Tunisia 's lives below the poverty line , she writes . `` The citizens of Egypt regularly complain of a neglectful regime that knows more about torture than it does about public service , and they 're furious with a regime that seems to swallow any domestic profits before they can reach the lower classes . And yet no one predicts a revolutionary reset anytime soon . '' Two factors distinguish Egypt from Tunisia in this respect , Hauslohner writes : Tunisia 's government spent generously on education , creating a frustrated educated but unemployed population . And in Egypt , `` the military stands with '' Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak . Time.com is a partner of CNN.com . Writing in Newsweek , journalist Mike Giglio suggested the `` upcoming protest in Cairo could mark the beginning of another upheaval . '' `` Tuesday will be the first real test of whether the revolution is contagious , '' he wrote in a story published Monday . Many protesters believe their demonstrations will prove to have far more power than naysayers suggest . A Facebook page that has served to help organize Tuesday 's protests in Cairo says , `` Many young Egyptians are now fed up with the inhuman treatment they face on a daily basis in streets , police stations and everywhere ... Egyptians are aspiring to the day when Egypt has its freedom and dignity back , the day when the current 30 years long emergency martial law ends and when Egyptians can freely elect their true representatives . ''
Analysts : Egypt is a different story from Tunisia . Analyst : Tunisia ' a little bit unique ' Time writer says Egypt `` not ready '' for revolution . Protesters believe Cairo demonstrations can help trigger change .