Skip to main content

The Price of Egypt’s Integrity

The integrity of the Egyptian state may be the price to be paid for "fixing" the Muslim Brotherhood's election.
ATTENTION EDITORS - VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY OR DEATH

Supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi carry a protester injured during clashes with riot police and army at around the area of Rabaa Adawiya square, where they are camping, in Cairo August 14, 2013. The death toll from an Egyptian police raid on supporters of Mursi at a Cairo protest camp has climbed to 60 at one hospital, according to a nurse who said she counted the bodies. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih  (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CI

These days of chaotic, bloody brutality are a time for mourning, as the toll continues to rise for those killed by the Egyptian security force's operation to break up pro–Mohammed Morsi sit-ins as well as from retaliatory attacks. There have been too many mournful and gruesome days in Egypt since the 2011 revolution, but never have the prospects for recovering from the damage seemed so bleak. At the moment, it is not unreasonable to fear Egypt backsliding to a state worse than that of Hosni Mubarak’s.

In the past two and a half years, an unleashed Egypt has chanted, “The people demand the downfall of the regime,” … and then the military … and then the Muslim Brotherhood. Today, graffiti on a grimy wall in Cairo simply reads, “Down with the whole world.”

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.