One of the most perplexing aspects of the months of instability in Egypt that have followed the removal of President Mohammed Morsi from office on July 3, 2013, is the number of prominent Egyptian liberals who have shown themselves to have a somewhat selective commitment to liberal principles, such as a belief in the legitimacy of elected leaders, and universal respect for basic freedoms and the rule of law.
A piece on Al-Monitor's Egypt Pulse published on Feb. 4 suggests that Wael Nawara may fall into this category. Nawara accuses the members of the Working Group on Egypt, of which I am a member, of providing the “wrong advice” to US President Barack Obama in its Jan. 28 letter.