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ICYMI: The Real Danger for Egyptian Democracy

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Lindsay Lloyd

Many watching the aftermath of the Egyptian Revolution and Egypt’s difficult path toward building democracy have focused on the risks of...

Many watching the aftermath of the Egyptian Revolution and Egypt’s difficult path toward building democracy have focused on the risks of political Islam and rising intolerance.  Indeed, there are troubling questions on the role of religion, pluralism, rights for women and minorities, and the rule of law.  For an insightful and different take on developments, check out a new paper from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.  Carnegie Vice President Tom Carothers and Senior Associate Nathan Brown explore a potentially more perilous problem for Egypt – the lack of political competition and concentration of power in the ruling Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood.  Carothers and Brown draw parallels with South Africa and Turkey, where concentration of political power – not ideology – has led to backsliding on democracy and human rights.  And they rightly point to the need to stay engaged with Egypt, in part by supporting political party and civil society. Read the article here. This post was written by Lindsay Lloyd, Program Director of the Freedom Collection.