Events in Egypt suggestive of manipulations from outside

Latest developments in Egypt have very little to do with democracy, believes Dr Alexei Pushkov, the chairman of the State Duma foreign policy committee. “Events in Egypt are suggestive of democracy but in a very tentative way - they reek of something totally different,” he told a news conference at Itar-Tass headquarters. He cited a range of arguments to substantiate for his viewpoint, including the fact that Mohammed Morsi received 52% votes in the presidential election but was supplanted by the active liberally minded section of society just a year later. “A situation where the military take control of state power cannot be described as a democratic process,” Dr. Pushkov said. “Manipulations from the outside clearly stand behind the rebellion - which in fact is a rebellion of just a section of the population and is mostly unfolding in big cities like Cairo or Alexandria,” he said. “People were assembled on the street and taught to topple the president.” “The forces behind all of this are obviously based outside Egypt,” Dr. Pushkov said. He believes that the events in Egypt draw a bottom line under the first stage of the so-called Arab Spring and herald in a new stage. He pointed out the phrase ‘so-called’ that he attaches to the ‘Arab spring’ notion, saying: “There’ve always been doubts about whether or not this is real spring or winter, if one considers the fact that the region has gotten into a long period of instability.”