Will Egypt descend into anarchy?

The situation in strife-torn Egypt, according to intelligence inputs, is headed toward mayhem with an imminent confrontation between the Muslim Brotherhood and the army. There are also indications that the Muslim Brotherhood has more or less decided to take the army head on despite the fact that such an option in risky and could prove to be disastrous.
What is disturbing is that the Israeli intelligence also has been observing and evaluating the situation in Egypt and Sinai. In fact, the army has unveiled a plot hatched by the Muslim Brotherhood to transform Sinai into a defiant Islamist emirate. Many Egyptians are concerned about the happenings in their country and what they see as attempts to break up the country and weaken its army. They are aware of what happened to Iraq and Syria and how their military power was brought to near destruction. It is needless to say that sectarianism flourished in these two countries.
There were enough indications that the Muslim Brotherhood incited Egyptians to take to the streets to what they claimed as restoring national pride and pan-Arabic identity. This was seen as a move which was in line with the Turkish policy, observed by many as a hidden agenda for the Islamists to transform the region which would have served Turkish interests.
There is a general belief that Istanbul has been trying to restore the glory of Caliphate through the Muslim Brotherhood. And it is for this reason that Ankara agreed to hold meetings of the International Bureau of the Muslim Brotherhood in Ankara after the ouster of Mursi. It also supported the Muslim Brotherhood and defended their legitimacy at a time when some Arab countries supported the measures taken by the army.
The average Egyptian on the street believed that the Muslim Brotherhood fared well in the elections after they received American-Turkish-Qatari support. For this reason, there is considerable degree of angst against the Americans, the Turks and Al Jazeera channel as well. This anger may not be justified, but they have been supported by countries which promoted politics of exclusion.
There is enough proof to suggest that American Ambassador Anne Paterson did not negotiate in an impartial way when she tried to iron out hassles facing the Islamists. This was obvious when the American administration and Congress were taken by surprise by the magnitude of the anger in Egypt which manifested on June 30.
The Egyptians gave vent to their anger against the policies of the Muslim Brotherhood who, they believed, were using religion to serve their purpose. They believed that their policies would only make Egypt a land of backwardness again.
Additionally, Egyptians realized, albeit late, that the Muslim Brotherhood did not take part in the initial stages of the revolution against Mubarak. In the beginning, they made it explicitly clear that they would not put up a nominee for presidential elections and that they would only participate effectively in the Parliament. They, however, went back on their promise, and rigged the last presidential election.
Many still cast aspersions on the electoral success of Mursi and maintain that Ahmed Shafiq was booted out by external forces. Today, the Muslim Brotherhood appears to be more gangster-like from others. Everyday, one comes across some situation which points out that they have no national affiliation or loyalty. Their loyalty and allegiance is only toward their organization, and they are ready to confront the army and the Egyptian people.
Interestingly, their chances of staying in power — according to serious political analysts — will at best last till the end of Mursi’s presidential term because of their political shortsightedness. There are no doubts that the Muslim Brotherhood did deceive the people and tried to hijack the state to serve their own myopic vision that has nothing to do with democracy and peaceful rotation of power.
Given the ground situation, there are several questions. Will Egypt slide into a state of anarchy? It all depends on the Egyptian citizen who has always demonstrated a high degree of loyalty to his country. The army relies on this high level of Egyptian nationalism among the people to avert an internal collapse.
The tug of war between different players in Egypt that we are witnessing is only aimed at increasing the bargaining capacity of the two sides. So far, the army has been in control despite the tense situation and the Islamists’ friction with the rest of the society. The army is also aware that some kind of understanding has to be arrived in the near future, even with the Muslim Brotherhood. The pact could also include a new road map and guarantee that they would not be excluded as a quid pro quo for the army not to disclose the secrets of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The way the Muslim Brotherhood progresses in Egypt may well have a bearing on the future of all Islamic movements in the region. In the 1980s, the Muslim Brotherhood fooled the youth in Afghanistan, lying to them about ground realities and thriving on superstition. Just a few days ago, one of their leaders claimed that he had a dream in which Prophet Muhammd (peace be upon him) was touching the head of Mursi. Anyway, their lies in Egypt know no boundary.
The Muslim Brotherhood’s experiment failed in Algeria and in Palestine, because it was full of deception, misinformation and hatred toward others. What happened in Egypt on June 30 is a statement of Egyptians’ rejection of exclusion and autocracy.