Cyber Security and Emerging Threats Dahlia James

More Trouble for Morsi

The Egyptian public prosecutor has ordered the trial of ex-President Mohammed Morsi and 35 of his fellow Muslim Brotherhood members for allegedly collaborating with foreign organizations to carry out terrorist attacks and revealing defence secrets.  Specifically, Morsi is accused of spying for Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist group, and assisting in acts of terror within Egypt.

This adds to the mounting difficulties that Morsi has been facing since July of this year when he was deposed as President by the Egyptian military. Aside from being held in custody since his ousting, he faces charges of incitement to murder in connection with the protests against his rule from December of 2012.

The consistent dilemmas that Morsi faces are a somewhat cautionary signal of the Arab Spring. The lofty hopes and dreams of a new period of Egyptian democracy were clearly misconceived; Morsi’s alleged involvement in terrorism as well as the mass unrest in the wake of his election prove that the Spring’s rhetoric did not live up to its promises. Just like many of the Color Revolutions in the former Soviet Union and the Balkans, the Arab Spring is a salient example of however well-intentioned they are, social movements do not always result in a change from governments that rule autocratically. Moreover, with Mohammed Morsi as a salient example, they have the ability to spur more anti-democratic behaviour.

Author

  • Dahlia James

    Dahlia James is a Research Analyst at the NATO Association of Canada, where she writes articles on current events, as well as women in security, Canada’s involvement in NATO, and NATO’s multilateral connections. She has completed her Honours Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Toronto, where she studied Political Science, History, and American Studies. For the entirety of the 2011-2012 academic year, she studied abroad at the Rothberg International School at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where her studies were focused on Israeli foreign policy and Middle Eastern studies. Her recent experience includes acting as the Co-Editor in Chief of the Undergraduate Journal of American Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs, and interning in the research and editorial department at the Jerusalem Centre of Public Affairs. Her interests lie in American foreign policy, Canadian-American bilateral affairs, and both Israeli and Middle Eastern politics.

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Dahlia James
Dahlia James is a Research Analyst at the NATO Association of Canada, where she writes articles on current events, as well as women in security, Canada’s involvement in NATO, and NATO’s multilateral connections. She has completed her Honours Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Toronto, where she studied Political Science, History, and American Studies. For the entirety of the 2011-2012 academic year, she studied abroad at the Rothberg International School at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where her studies were focused on Israeli foreign policy and Middle Eastern studies. Her recent experience includes acting as the Co-Editor in Chief of the Undergraduate Journal of American Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs, and interning in the research and editorial department at the Jerusalem Centre of Public Affairs. Her interests lie in American foreign policy, Canadian-American bilateral affairs, and both Israeli and Middle Eastern politics.