Riots Resume
At the beginning of this month, this writer suggested that President Morsi of Egypt pay less attention to transforming the country into an Islamist society, and focus instead on economic matters, as a better way of preventing his government being swept away by further popular uprisings in the street. He didn't listen.
Egyptians have resumed rioting, in Cairo, and in other cities like Port Said, Ismailia, Suez and Alexandria, despite tear gas and curfews, and despite the ubiquitous presence of the military that is once again empowered, as it was under Hosni Mubarak, to arrest civilians. Between 50 and 60 people are believed to have been killed over the past five days, in protests that began peacefully last Friday to mark the two-year anniversary of the revolution. At the core of the protests is outrage regarding the relentless, and clearly miscalculated, push by President Morsi's Muslim-Brotherhood-backed, 7-month-old government to impose strict Islam-dominated rule on a populace that is now significantly (though by no means entirely) politically secular.
What's different in this round of rioting is a sense that Morsi's government is no longer trusted or accountable, and thus losing control as an atmosphere of near-anarchy emerges. On Sunday night, Morsi declared a state of emergency in certain cities, promising even harsher responses to further unrest, then called on representatives from eleven political parties - Islamists, liberals and leftists - to attend reconciliation talks at the presidential palace. Only the Islamists showed up.
With these uprisings, the much-needed, and much-delayed, $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund is once again subject to re-negotiation, and more delay. Without it, President Morsi cannot stop and reverse the Egyptian economy's downward spiral, despite short-term financial assistance from some Middle East governments. But this may soon be a moot point, as it is entirely possible to envisage the collapse of Morsi's government well before the IMF loan is finally made available.