Atlantic Council

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel underscored Washington's military commitment to Egypt on Wednesday and pledged American support as Egyptian forces evolve to address new and shifting security threats, U.S. defense officials said. "I wanted to stop in Egypt to ... reaffirm American commitment to Egypt's emerging democracy, encourage the democratic and economic reforms that are underway here," Hagel said. 

Since the January 25th Revolution, Egypt has suffered from a major economic crisis, in which the pace of economic growth during the past two years has fallen from the high rates achieved by the Mubarak regime (and confirmed by a number of international financial and economic organizations).  The average citizen, however, did not benefit from those high rates, serving as one of the many motivations for the uprising. 

Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil, widely criticised as colorless and ineffectual, will keep his job in a limited cabinet reshuffle to be announced within days, a presidential spokesman said on Wednesday. Spokesman Ehab Fahmy told a news conference: "It is a limited reshuffle and the prime minister is not included."

In “A New Deal: Reforming US Defense Cooperation with Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia” former US Army Chief George Casey and Congressman Jim Kolbe argue that the transitions in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia will be reversible unless and until their security agencies are better equipped to carry out their functions without abusing citizen rights or interfering in politics.

As the world community condemned the recent bombings in Boston, the Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm joined the chorus. “The Freedom and Justice Party categorically rejects as intolerable the bombings committed in the US city of Boston,” reported Ikhwanweb, the official English website of the Muslim Brotherhood.

 Minister of Justice Ahmed Mekki said he would reconsider his resignation if he were to receive an official written decree promising no one would interfere in the affairs of the judiciary. Prior to Mekki’s comments, President Mohamed Morsi’s office issued a statement late Monday night regarding his meeting with members of the Supreme Judicial Council. Morsi expressed his concern to protect the Constitution and the rule of law. 

In what was considered by many to be a legal and at least superficial victory, on February 3, 2013, Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court rejected a lawsuit challenging the illegality of female genital mutilation (FGM).

 Egypt's Justice Minister Ahmed Mekki has resigned in a letter protesting "an assault" on the judiciary by President Mohamed Morsi's Islamist backers, a spokesman said on Sunday, underlining mounting tensions between the judiciary and the executive. 

 Thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members gathered outside the High Court on Friday to demand the purging of the judiciary and the dismissal of Justice Minister Ahmed Mekky. The protest was organized in response to a court’s ruling this week to release former President Hosni Mubarak from prison pending his retrial on charges of complicity in killing protesters during the January 2011 uprising. 

Egypt’s constitution, drafted by an Islamist-dominated committee and pushed through by a bizarre voting process in which the constituent assembly worked into the early hours of the morning, approving article after article at breakneck speed, introduced a vague definition of what it means to be Egyptian. There are however a few key elements cemented by the constitution; it characterizes Egypt as a Sunni Muslim country whose values are rooted in family and religion, but gives no real definition as to what those values are.

 The Muslim Brotherhood, from which President Mohamed Mursi hails, announced on Wednesday that it will join the demonstration. The Salafi Dawah plans to sit out an Islamist-organized protest Friday against judicial corruption, saying it favors practical solutions instead. The liberal opposition Dostour Party also rejected calls for protests Friday outside the prosecutor general’s office, warning participants against “dragging the country into political controversy about the judiciary.” 

The Egyptian social sphere witnessed many changes since the eruption of the 25 January revolution. The daily protests that Egypt has become accustomed to were not a frequent scene under Mubarak’s regime.  In fact, in March alone Egypt had the highest rate of protest worldwide. Alongside the traditional understanding of resistance, Egypt's youth innovated new ways of expressing their opinions, either by taking to the streets or through other politically-related manifestations.

Informed sources within the Salafi Nour Party said Tuesday that leaders are mobilizing forces to demand the government dismiss Hesham Qandil’s Cabinet and the prosecutor general. The Freedom and Justice Party also called for a major government shuffle on Tuesday. The Conscience Front and al-Wasat’s parliamentary bloc also called for the resignations of Minister of Information Salah Abdel Maqsoud and Minister of Justice Ahmed Mekki in a press conference.

 Upper Egypt has its own specific subsistence and growth crises due to its systematic neglect by successive Egyptian governments. Nevertheless, the widespread impression given by this situation is that Upper Egypt is cut off from the political and social affairs in the rest of Egypt, which is not the case.