BEIRUT, Lebanon — In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ayman Nour, a pioneer oppositionist since the Hosni Mubarak days, said he feels that Egyptians are sacrificing both Egypt and the revolution. Nour, who now resides in Lebanon — a country he described as having a neutral agenda toward Egypt's political arena — said that the current regime of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is its own biggest threat.

Nour believes that the demands of those who protested on June 30, 2013, stemmed from both true and exaggerated reasons, but that July 3 led to a coup — not against Mohammed Morsi but the values of democracy. He said, “It is a coup against a path that came through elections and should not have left without elections, even if it was a referendum to know what the majority thinks.”

Sisi, from Nour's point of view, does not share Egypt with Egyptians. Rather, Sisi views Egypt as belonging to anyone who is against the Muslim Brotherhood. Nour believes that Sisi's popularity is not authentic, but instead stems from the fact that he was an alternative to the Brotherhood. “If he does not achieve progress, his popularity will be gone with the wind,” said Nour.

Nour blasted the interference of Gulf countries in Egypt's political affairs, blaming the Gulf for influencing the media in the lead-up to the coup. Unless the Gulf countries get their hands off of Egypt, he said, the country will further deteriorate. Meanwhile, the United States has been indecisive in its policies toward Egypt, said Nour. While the Pentagon supports military rule, the State Department and White House are of a different point of view. Nour believes that Egypt will be unable to retrieve its political role in the region unless it can revive its ability to take independent stances.