Since Egypt's revolution and the ousting of Hosni Mubarak in February, progress towards a true democracy has been erratic. Gains were made as voters approved constitutional amendments imposing term limits on the president and removing bans on who can run for office. Parliamentary elections are on course to take place in September, with a presidential election shortly thereafter. This looks like a positive trend but the worry is that such a speedy schedule will favor the conservative Muslim Brotherhood and Mubarak's National Democratic Party. Meanwhile, the secular and urban revolutionaries who served as the movement's early champions are finding themselves unable to solidify into parties of their own. Going beyond politics, the economy is suffering as the revolution negatively affected commerce and tourism. Crime has been on the rise as the police fled during the revolution, allowing for prisons to be opened and criminals to escape. While police forces are back, they are weak and scared. Will the original vision of the Egyptian revolutionaries be realized? Will the elections go to the religious radicals due to their superior organization skills? Will Egypt provide a stable model for the rest of the Middle East during this volatile time, or will it prove to be a flash in the pan?
Guest:
Scott MacLeod, Professor at American University of Cairo and Managing Editor of the Cairo Review of Global Affairs, a new quarterly policy journal launching next week about Egypt’s revolution