How Egyptian Elections Alter Regional Balance

Egypt, long considered a center of the Muslim world, has been in turmoil since the Arab Spring and the ouster of two presidents, dictator Hosni Mubarak and democratically elected Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected president after barring the political party associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, which won the only real democratic vote in Egypt’s history. Turnout in the most recent controlled election was low despite an extra day for voting and pleas to close businesses. Supporters of Morsi and democracy, with little overlap, boycotted the elections. The best hope is that Egypt restores some semblance of stability. Writing for Al Arabiya, Abdullah Kamal analyzes the election’s influence on the region’s shifting alliances. He points to Al-Qaeda’s increased influence in North Africa, perhaps encouraged by Muslim Brotherhood control in Egypt, and anticipates renewed focus on combatting terrorism. Kamal attributes some regional power struggle to the same wave of fundamentalism that brought the Muslim Brotherhood to power. Poor governance may be better than no governance, as evidenced in Syria and Libya. – YaleGlobal