The Egyptian revolution, which began in January 2011, is still running its course. Today we are seeing the results of the second act, which has yet to end. The curtain has been lowered on Mubarak and Morsi, who played the role of presidents. The military will have to stay in the lead role throughout this play, even after a new president takes the stage. B-list actor Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency, also graces the stage. Egypt had a violent weekend. With dozens killed and hundreds wounded in bloody clashes in Cairo and Alexandria, the Muslim Brotherhood is not giving in. The video footage of a young man being thrown from a roof by Morsi supporters, holding an al-Qaida flag, only shines a spotlight on a potential tragedy in the making in Egypt. Meanwhile, a group of jihadists in the Sinai Peninsula is trying to remind the world that they are also in the picture. The beheading of a Coptic priest in el-Arish is a harbinger of the acts of terrorism and revenge we can expect in Egypt. The Coptic Pope Tawadros II has supported the opposition and expressed his support for the generals on Wednesday. The poor priest in el-Arish was the first to pay the price. Just as the liberal youth persisted when their revolution was hijacked, the Muslim Brotherhood does not intend to sit by as their election victory is stolen from them. All of the world's Islamist parties are concerned and expressing their objection to what has happened in Egypt, including Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The message of the second Cairo revolution is that democracy is only desirable as long as the good side wins. And the Muslim Brotherhood, like in Algeria in 1991, is the bad side. In essence, Egypt's current state raises questions about future Muslim Brotherhood participation in the political system. If they are included, there is a risk that they will win (as they did in Egypt and Tunisia), but if they are excluded, we will return to the days of Mubarak. It may be good for security -- but it's a far cry from democracy. The liberal opposition learned the lessons of the past and chose the less charismatic leader among them. ElBaradei is a candidate for prime minister precisely because he is drab and doesn't threaten the generals and other senior political figures. The events in Cairo put the American administration in a bind. If this indeed is a military coup, the U.S. must stop the flow of financial aid to Egypt ($1.3 billion per year), according to the law from 1961. Therefore, officials are busy coordinating their assessments: Everyone agrees this is a grass-roots revolution helped along by the military. The army holds the reins and ElBaradei the civilian manages the government under military supervision while American money flows into Egypt. It appears that only Egypt's neighbors who border the Sinai Peninsula have real cause for concern. Obama and Kerry were on vacation this weekend; the former played golf and the latter spent time on a yacht. This is bad news for Egypt. It is becoming decreasingly interesting to the top global power. Egypt will return to greatness only if it becomes a model of democracy. Seeing as this apparently won't happen tomorrow, the person who will paradoxically drag Egypt out of the mud is a new Mubarak, someone more palatable with the times (more liberal and less corrupt). The director of our play is currently casting new actors, in hopes of finding a new star to play the role of president. The candidate for the part needs to get the army's approval. Sami Enan, the Egyptian army's former chief of staff, is a worthy candidate among of those who deposed Mubarak. The officer will remove his uniform and everyone will be satisfied; everyone other than the Muslim Brotherhood. Just like during the Mubarak regime.
