Staging a coup in Egypt to remove an elected government was not good. Shooting the protestors fighting the coup was and is not good. However, I believe the protestors are not fighting for the restoration of democracy in Egypt. My best research is that they want the return of the Islamist regime that had suspended the rule of law. The best solution to the violence in Egypt, therefore, would be an agreement to hold new open and secure elections soon. Perhaps next time around, the people will not elect a despot, but if they do, will the free choice of free people prevail?
The world hailed the Arab Spring revolution in Egypt that resulted in that county's very first elected government. The hope for civil society in that mythic land was palpable.
Sadly, that elected government turned despotic, triggering a coup, which in turn triggered protests against the coup. Now Egypt is being drenched in bloodshed.
What is the best solution for the madness in Egypt today? We may wish to condemn the military for staging a coup to remove an elected government. We may wish to condemn the military for shooting protestors demanding the restoration of an elected government. Such blanket condemnations, however, would ignore important facts.
Based on my research into the Muslim Brotherhood, I believe the protestors from that organization are not demanding a return to democracy. I have become convinced that tThey want to restore the Islamist regime that had suspended the rule of law. If their protests succeed in restoring Morsi and his followers to power, reason and evidence suggests that the injustices which prompted the coup will resume, but this time the actions of the regime would be fueled by vengeance.
There really are no clear-cut good guys and bad guys in the current Egyptian mayhem. Neither the military nor the Muslim Brotherhood are blameless in creating today's mess.
The best solution, in my opinion, would be a suspension of hostilities under a balanced agreement to hold new free and fair elections at a specified date in the near future. The voting ideally would occur under international supervision to ensure the election is not stolen by any faction.
Rather than asking our own national governments to take sides in the Egyptian contest, let's join the emerging call for the sensible solution of open and secure new elections.
My personal hope would be that, given a second chance, the people of Egypt will not again elect an Islamist government ruled by the Muslim Brotherhood. I do not favor theocracy in any guise, not matter what religion is in charge.
However, if the Egyptian people want to elect despotic leaders, which in my view would continue the generational authority addiction inherited from ancient days, we must honor their wishes. At some point, I trust, the Egyptian people will show us all how global sense can guide us to choose the mature freedom of responsible self government.