Egypt Political Situation Before and After the Revolution

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Political theorists and practitioners are in agreement that the recent Egyptian revolution was triggered by the rapid deterioration of the socioeconomic and political conditions in the country under the oppressive and authoritarian regime of President Mubarak, leading to a situation whereby most Egyptians felt that they had been denied their self-dignity and inherent sense of worth (Fahmy 350-351). Almost four years after the revolution, it remains unclear whether the popular uprising has been able to transform the country or even achieve any of the ideals that people fought for during the revolution (Saikal 532). This paper attempts to analyze the political situation before and after the Egyptian revolution.

Available information indicates that “the Arab Republic of Egypt is located in North Africa, bordering on the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Libya to the West, the Gaza Strip to the east, and Sudan to the south” (Encyclopedia of the Nations par. 1). Egypt has a population of 84.55 million people according to 2013 statistics (World Population Statistics par. 1), and its main economic activities revolve around mining (extraction of crude oil, natural gas, coal), services (tourism, the Suez Canal, financial and retail), manufacturing and construction (Encyclopedia of the Nations par. 7-25).

To analyze the political situation of Egypt before the revolution, it is essential to look at the political arrangements that were predominant under Mubarak’s rule. Extant literature demonstrates that after Mubarak assumed power in the wake of President Anwar al-Sadat’s assassination in 1981, the president “set out to rule by a state of emergency under Law No. 162, which extended police powers, legitimized censorship and suspended constitutional rights” (Saikal 531). This model of government enhanced the authoritarian system of party-bureaucratic-security governance, facilitated political and socio-economic stagnation in the country, and also triggered foreign policy debacles

It is indeed true that the political and socioeconomic situations in Egypt before the revolution acted as significant catalysts in fueling discontent among the masses. In the domain of politics, the general feeling among the masses was that President Mubarak had sat at the helm of an oppressive and authoritarian regime for far too long (Saikal 531). The harsh government had given rise to a multiplicity of political and socioeconomic concerns, including:

high levels of poverty among the masses
heightened police brutality instigated by an excessive and unchecked exercise of power, which was legitimized through sustained emergency laws,
extreme socio-economic inequalities triggered by policies and strategies of a government dominated by businessmen,
state’s increasing withdrawal from the provision of basic services in essential sectors such as education and health,
high levels of corruption in government and industry following an excessive form of a capitalist free-market restructuring bill (Fahmy 350).

To further worsen an already difficult situation, the economic restructuring programs initiated by Mubarak’s successive governments over the period 1991-2011 not only gave rise to an increasing rate of unemployment but also aggravated the standard of living among the middle class as the rich got richer and the poor got poorer (Fahmy 351). Consequently, in the last quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2011, the Egyptian masses took to the streets to demand a pro-democratic transformation of the country, driven by them rather than outside powers and Mubarak’s governing regime which had by all standards failed in its attempt to instill democratic changes and good governance. The media, especially blogs and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, played a significant role in mobilizing the masses to take part in the revolution that eventually ended Mubarak’s regime (Salvatore 10).

Following 18 days of an unparalleled spontaneous public uprising, Mubarak eventually gave in to the demands of the people and handed over power on 11 February 2011 to the High Command of the Armed Forces, with the expectation that Egypt would transition to a mature democratic society (Saikal 534). However, the ensuing political situation in Egypt demonstrates that Egypt is far from transitioning to a democracy. First, it can be recalled that the Muslim Brotherhood under Mohamed Morsi won the ensuing election, but was soon deposed by the military for continued human rights violations, as well as demonstrating theocratic leanings and impressive extremist views.

The Morsi regime failed to make an impact in terms of facilitating democratic transformations in the country, in large part due to apparent lack of the necessary institutional and procedural foundations including “an appropriate legal-rational framework, respect for the rule of law, separation of powers, independent judiciary, vibrant civil society, constitutional guarantees and respect for minorities” (De Smet 18). Political power is now back to the Military Council, but critics remain pessimistic on whether the Council has the necessary intrinsic political wisdom and detached self-interest to deliver on its promise to initiate political and democratic reforms in the country based on the will of the people.

From the analysis, it is evident that Egypt is far from achieving the democratic reforms the people have regularly fought for from the initiation of the revolution. Although President Mubarak ensured a sustained deterioration of political and democratic ideals during his tenure, it is clear that these ideals are yet to be guaranteed today, not mentioning that people are still experiencing substantial socioeconomic disparities. The only way to guarantee democratic reforms and ensure the will of the people is respected, in my view, is for the Military Council to first put in place the necessary institutional and procedural foundations before calling for new elections.

Works Cited

De Smet, Brecht. “Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Egypt.” Science & Society. 78.1 (2014): 11-40. Academic Search Premier. Web.

Encyclopedia of the Nations. Egypt 2014. Web.

Fahmy, Hazem. “The initial perspective on the winter of discontent: The root causes of the Egyptian revolution.” Social Research. 79.2 (2012): 349-376. MasterFILE Premier. Web.

Saikal, Amin. “Authoritarianism, revolution, and democracy: Egypt and Beyond.” Australian Journal of International Affairs. 65.5 (2011): 530-544. Academic Search Premier. Web.

Salvatore, Armando 2011, Before (and After) the ‘Arab Spring’: From Connectedness to Mobilization in the Public Sphere. Web.

World Population Statistics. Egypt Population 2013. Web.

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Egypt Political Situation Before and After the Revolution

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