5.7.2013

Egypt: on the bumpy road to democracy

The staggering flow of events in Egypt is captivating. Mass protests have reached a peak in which the army has removed president Morsi. It still remains to be seen if this ouster shall be accepted by the deposed president but the reports of arrests of  Muslim Brother activists indicate the very real possibility of a developing civilian conflict that may develop into a real civil war. 

It still remains to be seen how united is the army, and how capable it is in keeping the peace and unity of the Egyptian nation.

However one views these events, one question from the beginning of the Arab Spring has still not been answered:  is what is currently happening in Egypt  more reminiscent of the years of turmoil after the French Revolution, or that after the European Spring of Nations of 1848 ? 

This answer can only be answered by the Egyptians themselves. 

But those claiming that recent events are proof of no real chance to democracy in the middle east could not have been more wrong. The Path to democracy has been bumpy for every nation choosing to tread this path. A swift look at history brings to mind, for example, possible parallel events from England  - that oldest of democracies - and its turbulent history. The process of popular protest that brings a change in leadership is in the heart of democracy. But it takes time until all players accept the basic rules. It is unrealistic to expect the same stability and peaceful processes seen in the more veteran democracies, in a young and developing nation. Especially if that nation has no institutions, legacies or customs that have prepared it in any way for the democratic process. 

It is possible that the current outcome will be the rise of a new authoritatiran rule in Egypt. But one cannot deny that this risk exists in any democracy, including the great democracies of the developed world. This is why checks and balances are so critical in a democratic regime. Considering the dominance of cultural hegemonies in those regimes, one would advise those critical of the processes Egypt undergoes to take a closer look at the true nature of the democratic process of their home nation, before criticising the living and kicking democratic nation of Egypt, suffering the pains of labor  in front of the worlds eyes.