The Egyptian Revolution​: Marching In Place...............by Dan Friedman

Can you say "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose” in Arabic?

Must be a few people out there who still cling to the illusion of an Arab Spring – most if not all, members of the white shoe diplomatic class. But the news out of Egypt today will undoubtedly shrink their ranks. Egypt’s Supreme Court has just invalidated last year’s elections and declared that the Islamist-dominated Parliament it produced has to be dissolved. At the same time, the Court ruled that the presidential run-off election - pitting a Muslim Brotherhood member against Mubarak’s last prime minister - can go ahead as planned on June 17th. I’m willing to wager that if the Brotherhood’s man wins that election some arm of the Egyptian government’s apparatus will put the kibosh on that too.

Cut to my crystal ball. The army is still pulling the strings and won’t let go, Egypt’s revolutionaries will be back in the streets, and Mr. Mubarak will die with a broad grin on his face.