The Presentation Case

The presentation that took place on November 14, 2012 considering the Egyptian revolutions/protests/revolts/etc., was one that was very interesting because it changed how I looked at the 2011 elections in Egypt. Not only that but it left me with many questions in terms of where Egypt is headed politically, and what that means to Egypt socially and religiously.

The presentation circulated around many issues that we discussed in class, but the presentation brought all those concepts together in a way that explained how the elections were a result of the turbulent history of Egypt. The issue I felt was the most interesting is the idea of will, and how, Egypt be able to forget their past politics and start anew? This concern was raised by one of the attendees of the presentation. This caused me to further speculate the politics of Egypt as well as wonder to myself if that really was possible. Personally, I think if Egypt wants to start on a new slate and become democratic, then there has to be a separation of church and state. Basically, they have to either choose to uphold their religious beliefs in their politics or abandon in completely. I personally think they should uphold their religious beliefs because it resonates with the majority of the Egyptian people.

The presentation gave an insightful understanding of the recent elections as well. After the presentation, they now seem to be no different than a dictatorship because it was a corrupt election. It's not really an election when a certain group of people knocks out the rest of the competition and allows their choice to be chosen by the people. It just seems like there was no purpose to the elections and Mubarak would have been a better choice to keep in office then give a false sense of democracy to the Egyptian people.

One thing I was sort of intrigued by was the fact that many of the nominees for president were either part of the Muslim Brotherhood, had been, or recently detached due to the election. So I wonder, would it have made any difference if another person had won? I feel that Egypt, like many other countries in the Middle East, has a corrupt political body, and I feel that that's something that probably will not change any time soon, or, if America interferes, then maybe it will change completely and do a 180. Although these circumstances are not limited to Egypt, I still think Egypt has a very critical role in the Middle East, so the faster they shape up their political state, the better they will be able to act in Middle Eastern crises such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

I take with me an extremely different perspective when it comes to the Egyptian elections after the presentation. I feel that Egypt is headed in a new direction, but perhaps not as I thought it would have. I feel that certain groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, or even other future parties, will always try to interfere in politics in order to satisfy their own