The Egyptian government’s recent moves against the Muslim Brotherhood may seem like a replay of historical patterns but in reverse. Egypt is experiencing violence akin to its darkest periods, said Carnegie’s Michele Dunne on SiriusXM’s Morning Briefing with Tim Farley. This time, though, the Egyptian military and police have the cooperation of the judiciary in its crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood. “Egypt is on a really difficult road right now because the military is trying to sideline what is probably the biggest political, social, and religious movement in the country,” Dunne argued.

The Brotherhood—which has undergone a slow evolution—has become increasingly political, but Dunne argued that the question now is, against the backdrop of the massive crackdown, whether the Brotherhood will move towards radicalization. She explained that the judiciary was one of the state institutions that had a lot of respect from the public even under Mubarak, but it has become increasingly politicized. Egypt has also been a long-time ally for the United States in the region, Dunne said, but the concern now in the U.S. government is whether Egypt may be going down a path of persistent instability.

The interview was originally aired on the Morning Briefing with Tim Farley.