As talk of a general strike and acts of civil disobedience proliferate in Cairo, the transition to democracy is anything but certain. In the political conflict between the military, clergy and civil society, tyranny could take many forms–including neoliberalism. As witnessed in many conflicts in former European colonies like Libya, Sudan and Iraq, Egypt has to contend with would be dictators ranging from military strongmen to theocrats to CIA sycophants.
Sorting out the authentic pro-democracy activists in this mess can be a challenge, especially when rallies in the West identify with the sentiments of fake revolutions staged for the benefit of ill-informed public opinion.
As US covert agencies and their puppet NGOs engage in operations to influence public perception in favor of pro-US, free market tyrants with a democratic veneer, indigenous peoples and civil society intellectuals will undoubtedly be in the sights of whatever thugs eventually come to power in a reconstituted Egyptian society. Knowing the history of US covert ops to overthrow democratic movements over the last century in places like Chile, Guatemala, South Africa and Iran, these targets would be wise to prepare for the worst.