The Egyptian crisis in the point of no return or the crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood

Egypt has lived the last week one of the deadliest clashes since the coup d´état in July, as in general since its past revolution back in 2011. The pro-Morsi camp hasn´t in fact acknowledged the ousting of the president Mohammed Morsi, and claim his return to power immediately. The risen general Al Sisi chose to end the everlasting sit-ins which threatened the security in the capital city Cairo, and dissolved it unilaterally by security forces on August the 5^th, leading to bloodshed of those who remained until the very end, as interim prime minister Hazem El-Beblawi showed again no mercy towards the remaining protesters of the deposed Muslim Brotherhood, despite the general trend of arrests against its supports and daily deaths. According to the interior Ministry 622 persons were dead, as of other hundreds are wounded, among the protesters, as of the state forces involved. According to sources of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) itself, the casualties were far higher, up to 2000 or more that day.

Anyhow, the diplomatic moves, for a dialogue and a reconciliatory policy, eventually leading to an end to this ongoing violence is very far from sight. Different political actors, such as German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, as Katherine Ashton, representing the European Commission, the US Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns, were present at some time, trying to bring together both positions currently fighting, the Muslim Brotherhood and the interim government. All failures led to the point where the government ceased to consider any further negotiation, and made that crackdown, in order to restore the Al-Nahda square, the main university campus, as other spots in the city of Cairo, leading to a curfew of at least 24 hours, which gave the city an impression of normality. Nonetheless nothing seems resolved for now, as the newly elected Vice-president Mohamed El-Baradei resigned as a consequence of it.

The political outcome, in which all political forces could be inserted, was definitely blown away, as the Egyptian government has declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. Thus the MB has also taken actions, as of going against government buildings and military checkpoints, putting the security at stake for moments. The political outcome will unlikely be as rosy as expected, when the interim president Mansour declared the will of including anyone whom accepting the rule of law. The fact being that the rule of law in Egypt is nothing more than a piece of paper, in between ongoing fights and curfews. The martial law has been put back in place, until further notice, and the general unrest in other provinces, such as the bordering area in the Sinai Peninsula and in the southern regions, gives a hint of the state of things in the North African country.

The regional powers have taken very diverse positions, whereas Qatar has been a massive supporter of the rule of president Morsi, and now probably finds itself isolated, the Emirate of Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, have shown not only recognition to the junta, but also released very much needed funds for the current government not to collapse. The US have long not taken any position towards the shift of power, in order not to put in doubt the military help provided to the Egyptian army. As early as today some comments are  giving an idea, that this could be changing anytime soon, but certain is, that the Obama administration has ignored the fact of lack of a democratically elected government since July the 3^rd, as a strategy until the security of its embassy and its citizen became the real issue to be concerned of.

The coup just about a year from the arrival to power of Mohamed Morsi  on the past 3 July  an its aftermath seems to continue forever, as none of the parties are willing to give in for now. Nor has the ousted president Morsi been put back in power, nor the will of a major part of the population has been taken into account, as for their sympathy for or links to the now illegalized Moslem Brotherhood. If any result may appear, it would need the backup of a regional power, and a return to normality, which isn´t the case for now at least. If Morsi, after almost a month of detention was tailed in an express Judgment and put into an unknown place under arrest, his family still claims what happened was a hijacking of him as a matter of fact. Thou this isn´t going to change much to his situation, it still shows the division within the society itself.

Thousands of supporters of the MB remain in the aim of fighting, not wanting to renounce to their goals, no matter how dim their chance may seem. As it seems only the final crackdown of the former ruling party may finally bring some sort of peace, even if it was severely dredged with blood. Too many weapons and divisions are such, that the possible results slim to nearly one, the deadliest of all, violence by itself.