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Independent trade unions remain the strongest nationally organized force confronting the autocratic tendencies of the old order. If they can solidify and expand their gains, they could be an important force leading Egypt toward a more democratic future.
Libya's parliamentary election process has been a remarkable achievement in a country devoid of participatory politics for nearly half a century, despite the worrying presence of armed militias throughout the country.
The fact that Morsi’s victory was allowed to stand marks a major change in Egypt, but it is only one step in a process of transformation that will take time, be punctuated by many acrimonious battles, and in the end may not lead to democracy
While there is no doubt that Tunisia’s transition is proving easier than that of other countries, it is still facing considerable political problems—in addition to its very serious economic challenges.
The developments in Egypt over the past few days have thrown what had been a confused set of institutional arrangements into even greater disarray and threatened the already tenuous transition to democracy.
The recently revised Constitutional Declaration, written by the military, outlines the powers of the Egyptian presidency in a way that gives ultimate authority to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
The Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court’s recent decisions allowing members of the old regime to run for office and striking down a section of the parliamentary election law puts an end to the first phase of the Egyptian transition and is a clear victory for the old regime.
The Saudi regime may be urging stronger international action in Syria, but it is clearly wary of the recent wave of domestic agitation calling for non-official involvement in the crisis.
Although the full ramifications of the rulings by the Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court are not yet evident, they suggest that democracy—in the sense of majority rule with minority rights—is now losing badly in Egypt.
More than a year after the outbreak of the uprising against Muammar Qaddafi’s rule, Libya is in the midst of a challenging transition, struggling without state institutions to manage the transition, security services to keep the peace, and sufficient national unity.