Egypt: Diplomacy and the Politics of Change

Pressure for change at all levels -- individual, family, and state -- preceded the 2011 Arab uprisings. It will continue, driven by inexorable factors including demography, education, Internet-based connectivity among like-minded groups, wage-based employment of women, and changing business models. The following analysis of the Egyptian case provides a background for understanding Egypt's challenges in the wake of President Mohamed Morsi's July 2013 ousting and the military's takeover. Demands for justice, dignity, and government accountability are the product of such cumulative forces of social change. These forces represent a paradigm shift in the Arab world in favor of popular political empowerment, from which no state ultimately can remain immune. Although change is a phenomenon that may be delayed, and perhaps even reversed from time to time, it will not easily be denied. Egyptians in general are socially conservative, depending to some extent on variations in socioeconomic status. But now with experience of inept, and for many, alarming, rule by the Muslim Brotherhood firmly in mind, most remain to be convinced that a full-blown parliamentary democracy remains preferable to rule by a strong authoritarian leader. Adapted from the source document.