ARAB SPRING AND THE CHALLENGES OF DEMOCRATIZATION IN EGYPT

ARAB SPRING AND THE CHALLENGES OF DEMOCRATIZATION IN EGYPT

ABSTRACT

It is argued, historically that Egypt is the cradle of civilization. Unfortunately, Egypt has been in turmoil ever since nineteenth century (1879) to the popular 1952 revolution. All these were geared towards good governance and total independence for the people of Egypt. The recent Arab Spring that swept across the North African region made the populace too optimistic of enthroning government by popular sovereignty. However, this was not realized when they witnessed the failure of Egypt’s democratic transition after the 2012 election. It is against this backdrop that the study seeks to examine the Arab Spring and challenges of democratization in Egypt. The specific objective of the study is to examine whether neo-liberal reform contributed to domestic political unrest in Egypt; as well as to ascertain if the nature of the quest for political power among contending interests has negative implications for democratization process in Egypt. The theory of post colonial state was adopted to aid the focus of the study. The study employed qualitative method of data collection which was based on documentary evidence and secondary sources in form of books; journals, archives etc while event history method of analysis was adopted. The study reveals that the nature of the struggle for political power among the military and the Muslim Brotherhood have spurred more confrontations other than addressing the economic crisis bedeviling the country, which has in-turn, posed a serious challenge to the democratization process in the country. The study therefore, recommends for popular participation in the act of politicking and the ultimate use of home grown policies that will encourage Western de-ideologization of development; and shun the total wholesome adoption of neo-liberal reforms.