The beginnings of a collapsing regime in Egypt

General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s regime has used up all its chances for remaining in power and it is about to collapse at any moment. This is not wishful thinking, but is rather a reading into the deteriorating situation of this regime which has so far failed in all tasks entrusted to it. It is a failure that cannot be saved by the false media alert driven by Al-Sisi’s media and allies aiming to divert attention from the disaster that awaits the country; a disaster that even some Al-Sisi’s supporters have begun to publicly warn of.

The collapse of Sisi’s regime is only a matter of time, and its signs have already begun. It begins with the failure of the main idea upon which it was based, which is that it came to replace the failed regime of the Muslim Brotherhood as Al-Sisi reiterates in his speeches. Evidence shows that Al-Sisi’s failure has by far exceeded the failure of isolated President Mohamed Morsi, who was not given the chance to rule.

There is one difference though, Al-Sisi still has the support of all official and non-official institutions in the country, including the military establishment, the interior, judiciary and media as well as the support of the right-wing and left-wing opposition from various parties. Moreover, his regime has been enjoying regional and international support that was not available to those who preceded him, including Hosni Mubarak, and he has been flooded with money from east and west, but despite it all., he miserably failed in providing a decent life to millions of Egyptians. We saw how a young man burned himself because he had reached a dead end and we continue to hear stories on a daily basis about citizens complaining about the harsh economic and social conditions. Loud voices are now coming out criticising Al-Sisi, especially in popular circles which gave him their support two years ago; they are the same voices Al-Sisi’s repressive system is trying to silence and blind.

What al-Sisi did on the political, economic and social levels goes far beyond what all other presidents who ruled Egypt since the end of the monarchy in early fifties had done. Some believe that he is similar to Gamal Abdel Nasser but, although the latter was authoritarian and repressive, he had a national project for development and modernisation through which he managed to change the foundations and structure of economic and social systems for the benefit of millions of Egyptians, unlike Al-Sisi who does not miss an opportunity in which he asks Egyptians to pay out of their pockets so that he can remain in office; he lately asked them not to eat or sleep if necessary.

Al-Sisi is trying to paint a strong and dominant image of his regime, but the truth is the opposite. A regime that is affected by a tuk tuk driver’s harsh criticism is a failing regime. And when the regime does not bear ridicule from a group of youngsters like the “Street Children” band and it arrests them because they post ridiculous videos on the internet, then it is a very weak regime. Also, a regime that has so many weapons but cannot protect its soldiers from the bullets of terrorist groups is a very weak regime. And, when a general who claims to possess knowledge, wisdom and philosophy gets upset from timid critiques, then he is frivolous.

Contrary to some people’s beliefs that Sisi’s regime represents a regional and international need, because of the situation prevailing in the region, there are some European circles that continue to express their concerns that Al-Sisi’s presence in power may lead to a complete collapse of the region and its biggest country. Western reports that emerged recently warned against the possibility of a chaotic uprising in Egypt if political, social and economic conditions remain as they are. The West has wrongly bet on al-Sisi’s ability to bring stability to Egypt, so they supported him diplomatically and politically, and his legitimacy was acknowledged under the pressures of facts on the grounds.

Lately, however, Western capitals began to review their strategies towards Egypt, albeit not in public. According to western circles, harsh criticism is directed at Egyptian officials, in their meetings with their Western counterparts, requiring Al-Sisi to change his current direction; otherwise, time won’t be on his side. Regional circles are currently considering the need to start thinking of an alternative for Al-Sisi before he topples their interests. Perhaps the reason why international and regional parties are reluctant to stop their support for Al-Sisi is the absence of a readily available civil alternative who can replace him.

This gears responsibility towards forces of change which still refuse to agree to a unified political agenda that can help the country out of its current predicament. They are still unable to communicate with masses in the streets, or to benefit from the state of increasing anger towards Al-Sisi’s increasing failures.

The ideology and the project of Al-Sisi’s regime have fallen in the eyes and minds of many, especially those who used to support it. What’s left is to remove the regional and international life support system, which can no longer bear any further failures that could hurt their interests, and this seems to be much closer than any other time.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.