Tarek Masoud: “The Road To (and from) Liberation Square”

In an article written by assistant Harvard professor Tarek Masoud, he addresses and comments on prominent issues and events leading up to Egypt’s current political state. He states that the combination of a “failing regime, aging leader, and a people increasingly willing to confront both” led to the revolution that overwhelmed Egypt in January.

Masoud noted the amount of restraint that Mubarak’s forces used in the earlier waves of the protests, suggesting that military personnel didn’t fully back the regime in the first place. He suggests that perhaps the military was jealous of the rise of the NDP because the NDP diminished the role of the military in political authority, therefore police didn’t exert full brute force.

Masoud calls into question whether or not Egypt has undergone (or will in the immediate future) a revolution at all. He says that it depends on SCAF’s sincerity to adhere to a democratic transition, and he notes three grounds for doubt: political, economic, and geopolitical. He asserts, “the military prefers to reign but not quite rule – maintaining its economic prerogatives and freedom from civilian oversight while controlling Egyptian foreign and defense policy, but otherwise letting elected politicians run the show.”

Also, Masoud highlights the ongoing debate about parliamentary elections (expected to be held in September) and the drafting of a new constitution. A committee of eight jurists produced a set of amendments, the most important of which stipulated that the new elected parliament would have six months to select a 100-member constituent assembly, and then they would in turn have six months to draft a new constitution. However, liberals are calling for a reversal of this process, demanding the constitution come before elections.

Other issues commented on in the article involve the future role of religion in politics, Islamist influence and the potential threat to liberals/secularists, and durability challenges associated with political transformation.