Tough road ahead for peace in Egypt

Q+A | Expert views on turmoil

Editor's note: Three Chinese experts - He Wenping, an African studies researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Xu Weizhong, an African studies expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, and Wang Lian, professor of international relations at Peking University - share their views on the current situation in Egypt:

What is the root reason for Egypt's continuous turmoil?

He: Mohammed Morsi's ouster was only the trigger for the turmoil, while the root reason lies in the severe divisions in society. The major disagreements between Islamic groups and the opposition groups are enlarged by the involvement of military forces, which worsen the situation.

Xu: The gap between people's expectation of a quick resolution of all the social problems and the disappointing reality directly evoked the conflicts in Egypt. The state is undergoing a transition period and has accumulated various problems in politics, culture and the economy, requiring a continuous effort and a rather long period of time to solve. Such difficulties are actually shared by all Arabic countries.

Wang: The root reason is the unsettlement of the disagreement between the traditional political power and the Muslim Brotherhood, which can be traced back to Egypt's revolution in 2011. Moreover, Morsi's government lost general support due to its poor governance, which directly led to Morsi's deposition.

Will the turmoil end soon?

He: It has been almost a month since Morsi was removed, but the situation is only getting worse. Neither side shows any willingness to compromise. It is unlikely there will be a settlement within a short time.

Xu: The resolution of these complicated problems in Egypt requires a joint effort from all sides, which means a rather long period of time is needed.

Wang: The military is calling for the Muslim Brotherhood to acknowledge Morsi's deposition, which is still unlikely to be accepted by either the Muslim Brotherhood or its supporters. It is hard to see an end to this turmoil under such circumstances.

How can the turmoil be solved?

He: The key solution will be to rebuild trust. The government needs to release Morsi in order to ease the tension and carry out proactive solutions according to the timetable. Egypt needs to establish a platform for further communications and unite society based on compromise and understanding.

Xu: Egypt needs to be more patient and practical. Compromise and understanding between the different sides are the way to bring the country back on track. The country's future should be decided by the country itself. The international community should respect Egyptians' own choice.

Wang: Compromise is the art of governing. Morsi failed to unite different powers and did not enhance his ruling foundation. The new government should avoid such problems and listen to different voices. This is the only way to realize a healthy development of Egypt's politics.

China Daily

(China Daily 07/29/2013 page10)