Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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     Military's Dispersal of Egypt Protests Complicates Transition Process

   The Egyptian military`s dispersal of two Islamist-led protests
   supporting ousted President Mohamed Morsi has dramatically escalated
   the country`s political crisis.
   Security forces moved in early Wednesday to forcibly dispel thousands
   of protesters from the two sit-ins in Cairo, and both sides reported
   deaths and injuries in the fighting that ensued.
   The military vowed weeks ago to clear the protests outside the Rabaa
   Al-Adawiya mosque and Nahda square. It had said the sit-ins were not
   peaceful and represented a threat to stability.
   But soon after security forces moved to clear the sit-ins, violence
   erupted elsewhere. Within hours, there were reports of clashes across
   the country, including attacks on at least three churches in central
   Egypt.
   There were also attempts to establish new sit-ins elsewhere in Cairo.
   Anti-coup alliance activist Layla Moustafa told VOA she was not
   surprised.
   "Of course we expect other sit-ins to be set up after this is
   dispersed. We expect this to inflame the situation even more and to
   increase the protests in all states in Egypt because Rabaa al-Adawiya
   Square is not just a sit-in, it is a symbol for the revolution and the
   uprising against the coup regime."
   The mainly Islamist protesters had camped out since July 3, when the
   military removed Mr. Morsi following weeks of protests against him. The
   pro-Morsi protesters had refused to leave the camp sites until the
   elected president was restored to power.
   Egypt`s interim government repeatedly called on Mr. Morsi`s Muslim
   Brotherhood to join the transition government and participate in a
   process for new elections. But the group refused, saying to do so would
   be to legitimize a military coup against Egypt`s first democratically
   elected leader.
   Some analysts say the dispersal means the Muslim Brotherhood may now
   lose leverage in dealing with the interim government. But Adel Abdel
   Ghafar, a visiting professor at the American University in Cairo, says
   it could also be used to the group`s advantage.
   "They lose a bargaining chip, of course, but they have videos (of the
   crackdown) and they are already talking about women and children dying.
   They`ll try to maintain the moral high ground."
   Ghafar says the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood will now be able to
   further claim its followers are being martyred, much like the previous
   generation of Islamist activists who were jailed by the government in
   past decades.
   But he says the hardliners within Egypt`s government have also won a
   victory over more moderate voices, such as reformist leader Mohammad
   ElBaradei, who were calling for dialogue rather than force to deal with
   the protests.
   Now, Ghafar says, there is little chance of a short-term solution. And
   he says there is a possibility the situation could get worse.
   "I think (the Muslim Brothers) will escalate, and I think the state
   will respond even more violently. Expect a low-level insurgency type
   thing to happen in Egypt for the next couple of years."
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/militarys-dispersal-of-egypt-protests
   -complicates-transition-process/1729429.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/militarys-dispersal-of-egypt-protests-complicates-transition-process/1729429.html