Can Egypt Shake An Inevitable Military Government?

"Mubarak - Mursi"  [Reuters]

As Egypt continues to pry for a solution to a sustainable democratic government, one cannot help but wonder if the country is fated to fall into the hands of the military. Since the fall of Hosni Mubarak and the election of Mohamed Morsi, the revolution seemed to be transitioning into the right direction. The Citizens and opponents continue to protest against the newly elected president, saying “The revolution must continue¹” and that the president continues to defy legal norms while using his executive power to push through his agenda. He has continued to break the promises he made while running during the 2012 election, and has yet to lead the country to any form of eligible democracy. With all the unsettlement and discourse across this supposedly democratic government, the speculation of who holds the power of the country begins to fall on the military and law enforcement. 

Egyptian police at a protest in Egypt [AFP]

Ever since Morsi has come in office, police reforms have yet to be implemented despite many proposals from various civil society groups². Tamer Meky, a representative in Egypt’s upper house of parliament says that, “The lack of security in Egypt is the largest nail in President [Mohammed] Morsi's political coffin².” The State Security Investigation (SSI), notorious using harsh tactics and disregarding human rights, had its name changed to the National Security Apparatus (NSA), with promises of giving up their domestic political role and focusing more on national security against threats like terrorism. However, this new organization has continued with their brutality efforts and little information about their affairs has been noted. Though supporters assert that there have been political reforms for the Egyptian police, brutality, illegal detention, and torture during protests have pursued, with the crime rate dramatically increasing since the revolution. Ali Zain, a police general and professor at the Police Academy says that it has changed its curriculum, adding human rights courses, yet he is was one who supported decisions to raise the salaries of policemen by approximately 100 percent². At the same time, the Muslim Brotherhood is known to be very lenient on the Egyptian police as well as backing and supporting them.

As the police force continues to hold such power across the country, measuring the success of this revolution becomes even more complicated. With Chenoworth & Stefan’s definition of nonviolent

resistance, Egypt’s revolution has proven to be the prime example of this form of protest. However, the author’s assessment of success includes two conditions: full achievement of goals within a year of movement’s peak and the outcome being a direct result of the campaign’s activities. Besides the election in 2012, either of these conditions has been carried out successfully. With a constitution still unwritten and the country running out of cash to pay for imports, the future of the parliament remains grave and much of the country remains unrested. The corrupt Egyptian military has proven that it still remains in control of the country with the support of the Brotherhood and the government. Only time can tell where Egypt’s future will lead to, but if the country continues to run as it has been, one can only speculate its fate of becoming a military regime.

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