Whither Egypt? (Part 2)

The Protests Start All Over

On January 25, 2013, the second anniversary of the Arab Spring, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians from various cities took to the streets, protesting Mursi’s authoritarian governing style. And Mursi’s supporters took to the streets as well. In the months that followed, protests were followed by counter-protests, and there were several killed in the process. 

Finally, on July 3^rd , the military intervened. General Abdelfattah as-Sisi declared that Mursi had been removed, and the military took the reigns of power again. Mursi and many of his Muslim Brotherhood followers were jailed; hundreds died in protest. The military began to slowly regain control. As we moved into 2014, it became apparent that General as-Sisi would be a candidate for President. He resigned as Army Chief of Staff, launched his campaign, and became Mursi’s successor on June 8 of this year—almost a year after Mursi had been removed from power.

Can as-Sisi Fulfill Expectations?

After all the upheaval of the past several years, Egyptians are looking for relief. The hope in as-Sisi is enormous—after decades of decline, people expect economic growth and advancement. They want more freedoms, too. It would seem utterly impossible for the new president to be able to fulfill all these wishes. And he is going to have to find a way to involve all the major political players in the process. He will not be able to keep the strong Islamic elements in the society under wraps for long, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood.

Whether Egypt will see any degree of peace will become evident in the next few years.

By a ReachAcross leader