Cairo dateline

When pro-democracy protesters gathered in Cairo early this year,they had taken inspiration from the swiftly successful movement in Tunisia to be rid of dictatorial rule. Yet,because of the special place that Egypt occupies in the politics of the Middle East,it was their occupation of Tahrir Square in circumstances that could have invited a violent crackdown that gave the Arab Spring traction. The flight of Hosni Mubarak,after three decades of heavy-fisted rule,in turn inspired pro-democracy demands elsewhere in the region.

Transition is often messy,and inevitably fragile. Ushering in representative rule in a country while preserving social and economic stability isn’t easy. And perhaps it’s for this reason that the military’s Supreme Council that was formed to oversee the transition to an elected regime initially drew confidence,especially after the army didn’t fire on Tahrir Square in a defence of Mubarak. Now,with Egyptians set to begin voting next month in parliamentary elections,the cooperation of the generals in facilitating a democratic takeover will be watched. They have,say critics,been less than willing to guarantee a full-fledged transition. It is,for instance,not yet clear whether the legislature will have more powers than it did earlier. The security forces have also come under question for the handling of a gathering in Cairo this month by Coptic Christians protesting against sectarian attacks.

As the Egypt-mediated Israeli-Palestinian soldier-prisoners swap indicates,Cairo is skilfully asserting its place in a region in turmoil for the mixed results of pro-democracy protests as well as for geopolitical realignments. Its grip on internal realignments,however,is far from certain.