Recognizing that violence has failed to achieve political change has led al-Jama’a al-Islamiya and segments of al-Jihadi to renounce violence and redefine their attitudes toward the state and society, shifting the Islamist spectrum toward moderation. However, the continued imprisonment of prominent Islamists and the government’s restrictions on others’ participation in political and social life remain obstacles to an emerging moderate Islamist agenda.
Security sector reform is among the important priorities facing Egypt’s political transformation. Restructuring within Egypt’s military, police, Central Security Forces, and the General Intelligence Service is needed to maintain the security sector’s popular support and credibility. Egypt’s emerging democratic state will require security forces that are accountable to elected civilian authorities, respectful of citizens, and adaptive and collaborative so as to confront novel threats.
Decentralization in Egypt could provide a substantial opportunity for democratization and improved responsiveness in Egypt’s public sector. While initiated under the Mubarak regime, reforming the hierarchical and bureaucratic nature of local administration has the potential to result in a more efficient allocation of resources and should remain a priority as a civilian government structure is reconstituted.
Having assumed control of government, Egypt’s Supreme Military Council must now work to maintain discipline, restore social and economic order, and guide a smooth transition to a successor democratic government. How precisely the council of 20 military officers operates internally, makes decisions, or manages internal competition for power and influence remains unclear and warrants continued engagement and watchfulness by civil society actors and international partners.
