Egypt’s military regime has justified its hold on power since last year’s popular uprising by arguing that it needs to be in the driving seat to ensure a secure transition to democracy. The appalling violence of recent days that has left at least 77 people dead and hundreds more wounded undermines their claim. Not for the first time in recent months, Egypt’s generals have shown that security for anything but their own privileges is not a priority.
They have repeatedly refused calls to reform the country’s corrupt and tyrannical police force, despite the evidence that Egypt has become increasingly lawless since the uprising a year ago. Conspiracy theories abound that the chaos is deliberate, the best possible weapon for those who behind the scenes are hoping to spark a counter-revolution. If the country’s 85m people feel sufficiently under threat they may eventually come to long for the relative stability of the Mubarak era.
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