Arresting anyone and everyone

A Judge in Alexandria, Egypt has sentenced fourteen women to a eleven year prison sentence for participating in an “Islamist” protest and has also sentences seven girls for joining these protests to an “intermediate term” at a juvenile center. This grandstanding by the Sisi government has gone unnoticed by many of its allies including the US government as it has not spoken out regarding any of these human rights abuses against by Egypt against its own people.

These horrific stories do not stop here, as Riot police have violently ended peaceful protested by beating up, sexually harassing and detaining some of the most prominent human rights activists in the country.

Diplomatic Crisis

Egypt has severed diplomatic ties with turkey after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan who was also strongly supportive of Mr. Morsi voiced criticisms at the crackdown of the muslim brotherhood and expressed solidarity with the protestors. So this move has angered the Egyptian officials who have expelled Turkey’s ambassador and also have withdrawn their own ambassador from Turkey.

While relationship between Turkey and Egypt have been denigrating the past few months, Egypt has claimed it has only downgraded its relationship with Turkey not severed it. Egypt has sought to form new diplomatic ties with any country who have been supportive of the so called new government and has lashed out at any allies who have voiced any sort of criticisms. The Criticism of the Obama government on Egypt’s alarming actions have prompted to rekindle its diplomatic ties with Russia. This move was largely seen as a retaliatory swipe at the US for its criticisms. This move has prompted the US the soften its stance on Egypt mainly because many of the Obama administration officials have emerged on different ends of the spectrum on its Egypt policy.  So the Issue at hand has largely developed to become an international impasse in diplomatic ties and bid for regional influence.

Growing violence

Despite the peaceful protests and sit-ins, some within the pro-democracy/ Morsi supporters have taken up armed resistance against the military by targeting security forces. Suicide bombers have killed 11 soldiers and wounded 37 by driving an explosive loaded car into an army convoy. This attack has been of the latest form of violence that have affected both sides despite peaceful protests and general unrest.

This latest of round of retaliatory violence will not be the last one as Egypt remains untethered to alter its course back to authoritarian style of government this time led by General Sisi. As the political climate in the middle east has become unstable with the civil war in Syria, to an unstable country in libya and a nuclear Iran, what is going to  happen next is anyone’s guess as these competing issues become murkier day by day with no viable or attainable end in sight. These conflicts have also started international fight for influence in the region with the US steadily losing its power and regional players like Iran and Turkey  looking to gain the upper hand. Surprisingly enough Russia has gained a foothold by its show of power in dealing with the Syrian chemical weapons issue.