A Democracy With Fangs And Claws And Its Effects On Egyptian Political Culture - Statistical Data Included

Arab Studies Quarterly (ASQ), Summer, 2001 by Joshua A. Stacher

In this respect, one can argue, demonstrations in Egypt, such as the 1977 bread riots, usually have more to do with concern for economic hardship than with corruption, misrepresentation, or the lack of democracy. [53] In other words, as Mustapha K. Sayyid has written, "The Arab masses have largely been absent from movements urging greater political participation. Perhaps these masses yearn for a political order that guarantees decent living conditions and a measure for their dignity and national values, be it democratic or authoritarian." [54] Under these circumstances it appears to be nearly impossible to develop a grass-roots movement towards democracy.

POLITICAL CULTURE IN EGYPT: THE INTELLECTUALS

Turning to the trends that form the intellectual political culture, they would appear to be formed as a result of a complex and highly divided array of ideas, commitments, and approaches to governance in contemporary Egypt. The various sub-groups, within the Egyptian intellectual field, appear to have been unable to reach a consensus regarding what acceptable government constitutes. Due to the vast amounts of superficial political and economic changes that have marked Egypt since the July 1952 revolution, it is possible to suggest that the lack of a concise vision by the Egyptian intellectuals has further reinforced the mass culture of political alienation and immobilization. Thus, it is not only governmental tactics that contribute to the masses' sense of alienation and apathy. As one Egyptian intellectual explains, "The mainstream in Egyptian intellectual society is still largely left over from the 1960s generation. This is the same generation that still believes Nasser is everything. They are still defend ing him in one way or another." [55] Yet while these intellectuals cannot be solely blamed, it appears many remain caught between the ideology of the 1960s and more contemporary ideologies.

One can argue that Nasserism, which was largely discredited after the June 1967 military catastrophe, appears to have been a major factor affecting intellectual political culture. For instance, it seems to have made intellectuals less likely to commit to any ideology as a universal answer for prosperity. As one author explains,

An example that seems to illustrate this trait was the 1992 annual Cairo International Book Fair which took place two-weeks after the 26 December 1991 Algerian elections, in which the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) won the majority. Appalled at the notion of an Islamic-based party in Egypt, intellectuals appealed to President Mubarak not to allow an "Algerian Scenario" to occur in their country. As Saadeddin Ibrahim recalls, "intellectuals advised the President to be 'extra careful' in expanding or expediting Egypt's democracy for fear of either chaos, as in the former Soviet Union, or an Islamic takeover as in Algeria." [57] Some even went as far as to admit that they had been "wrong" in their previous criticism against Mubarak's 'slow pace' of introducing further democracy. [58] As Ibrahim explains: