Will the Arab Spring become an Arab Autumn? Or will the development towards democracy we are seeing now come to a halt? The recent violence before the election in Egypt brings up questions around what the overthrow of Mubarak has actually brought about. Critics claim that nothing has changed since the revolution; the old regime’s tactics and interests remain and will continue to do so as long as the military (SCAF) retains its leading role.
With the relevance of the parliamentary elections in Egypt the Stockholm Free World Forum has released the briefing “Egypt – Parliamentary Elections From a Bird’s Eye View“. The briefing describes the reasons behind the recent turbulence. A continuously intensifying power battle between the military, Islamists and liberals is a strong contributing factor.
– Amid all the violence, the public beyond Tahrir Square is trying to orient themselves with what is going on and whose interests are being advanced, said Susanne Tarkowski, who is a co-author of the briefing.