The colonial experience of the Arab world did not only stunt its social development, it also inhibited the development of class-consciousness.
Modern day Islamism represents the interests of a specific social class that has few qualms about current social and economic structures.
In Egypt, both the ruling elites and the urban middle class cling to the military regime, in the hope that they will be protected from a seemingly inevitable tide of social unrest.
Neither Sisi nor anyone else can bring stability to the country without radical social transformation, to address the key issues that brought about revolt in the first place.
Violence and repression are becoming more severe, and are symptomatic of the failure of Arab leaders to build a hegemonic vision they can use to control the citizenry.
Even though the number of strikes and industrial actions in Egypt has skyrocketed since the mid 2000s, labour's demands have mostly been local and fragmented.
The regime has unleashed a wave of repression that it can no longer control. Power now lies in the hands of those that police local communities: Egypt’s new untouchables, the petty security officials.
The peasantry is still missing from the discourse of the protest movement. As important as political and security sector reform are, the protest movement must include rural Egypt if it is to reach critical mass.
The Muslim Brotherhood, secular activists and even regime supporters have decided to shield themselves from reality, focusing on a discourse that provides them with a protective layer from the grim conditions engulfing them.
Backwards looking politics is a malaise affecting both the west and east. It breeds violence as global elites clamber to maintain their grip on power.
The selective revival of Nasserism by Egypt's current regime may help expand its support base amongst the masses, but only temporarily, as living standards continue to deteriorate.
ISIS has emerged from the wounds of the Arab world—for which the west is to a large extent responsible—and current airstrikes are pouring salt into these wounds.
