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By Madeleine Mezagopian

Despite the agony and the bloodshed accompanying Egyptians' efforts to accommodate democracy, its different stages represent a good learning process in embracing different aspects of democracy for the Egyptians and for the peoples of the region who are closely observing the developments in Egypt and better understand relevant local and external actors and acts.

Watching the destruction of and setting on fire public institutions, Christian churches and schools not least obstructing people's normal life and assassinating security people by the followers of MB in the aftermath of the armed confrontation between the MB occupiers of Nahda and Rabia Al Adawia squares in Cairo and elsewhere and Egypt's military and security forces, one cannot but revisit the intentions and the ambitions of some of Egypt's MB leaders and put forward a crucial question.

Is the true intention of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood (MB) to adopt democracy as a path to serve Egypt's national interests and enhance Egyptians welfare? If some of Egypt's Muslim Brothers leaders' ambitions are regional if not global as many confirm, were these ambitions a factor motivating Egypt's MB to undermine Egypt's national interests, such as compromising Sinai and undermining authorities foremost the judiciary, to serve their regional and global ambitions, hence sending a warning signal to million of Egyptians and foremost to Egypt's military and security, where Egypt's national interests is a red line, and eventually respond to the calls of millions Egyptians to withdraw their confidence in and outset Morsi's government?

The intervention by the military and the security forces to dismantle MB's sit-ins, albeit militarized rather peaceful sit-ins, in response to escalating calls and pressure from the inhabitants of these sites and Egyptians at large received harsh condemnations by some external actors who themselves ironically practiced disproportional response, including persecution and imprisonment, to rather peaceful sit-ins and demonstration where Turkish current government stands as a good example. Surely such condemnations were motivated foremost by concern over national interests of these forces and the possibility of loosing a reliable loyal ally, the MB.

Further, criticisms, condemnations, supporting one side against the other devoid of any solid arguments based on proper definitions of relevant processes highlighting relevant practices and regulations are mainly contributing the Arab Nation heading towards ignorance and illusions pertinent present developments and possible future scenarios.

Sit-ins and demonstrations will continue to feature the political life of well-established and newly emerging democracies. However, embracing components of democracy without learning of relevant practices and regulations is disastrous and surely derails the path towards democracy.

Democracy has its healthy life cycle starting with a constitution which enshrines all the components of democracy starting with representative electoral and party laws that promote pluralism, participation and inclusion and ending with articles that guarantee human rights and civil liberties, to be followed with transparent fair elections where peoples' minds rather peoples' daily needs are addressed. Division of authorities, check and balance and accountability and foremost enough space for the fourth authority are to be secured. This life cycle will witness peaceful demonstrations, marches and sit-ins without disrupting the public life and undermining national interests.

In the light of the above-mentioned, are we better equipped to better evaluate recent developments in Egypt through dedicating few minutes and contemplate how much Morsi's government and Egypt's MB abided by this life cycle of democracy and its regulations and perhaps even learn at home how to avoid misreading or misusing democracy and better cope with embracing democracy without endangering public and national interests?


Madeleine Mezagopian is an Academic Researcher, Adviser and Analyst in the field of Conflict Resolution/Peace and Socioeconomic and Political Development. She contributed this article to Ammon News Agency.