Since the Arab Spring sparked the revolution in Egypt, the country has experienced constant political turmoil.  As Mohamed Morsi, the first democratically elected head of state in Egyptian history, currently awaits trial after being deposed in early July, the military-backed interim government has initiated a harsh crackdown on Morsi’s group, the Muslim Brotherhood.  Following several attacks, the Egyptian government has designated the group as a terrorist organization, though it has yet to produce any evidence linking the Muslim Brotherhood to the attacks.  Egyptians promoting the group face prison sentences, and security forces have begun increasing arrests and conducting searches.  Attorneys for the Brotherhood recently complained to the International Criminal Court, stating that the military’s actions constituted “crimes against humanity”.  Additionally, these arrests have not only targeted protesters or known members of the Muslim Brotherhood.  In late December, four Al Jazeera journalists were detained and, as of January 8, three remain in custody though no charges have been brought.

Yet these actions against what is (or was) the largest and most well-organized political force in Egypt have produced less outrage than might perhaps be expected.  While this certainly could be due to fear, the effects of hyper-nationalist rhetoric from the military-backed government, or dissatisfaction with the Muslim Brotherhood after its brief time leading Egypt’s government, to some observers it looks more like exhaustion.  After 3 years of unrest, many Egyptians may simply be hoping for stability.  That would explain the recent embrace of another military ruler, General Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, after popular sentiment and protests removed the last military-backed government, which, beginning with Nasser in 1952 and ending with Mubarak in 2011, provided nearly 6 decades of stable governance.  Supporters of Sissi are claiming over 10% of the population support him as the next president of Egypt and predict that if he ran he would garner over 90% of the vote.  And while no evidence has yet been produced to back those numbers, it’s clear he enjoys widespread popularity.  Posters of him have proliferated and he has been compared to Nasser, an iconic Egyptian ruler.

As Egyptian security forces continue to increase their power and the military consolidates its control, hopes for a fully democratic Egypt are nearing extinction and the country seems as if it is on a path back to permanent military rule.  With the country nearing the third anniversary of the 2011 uprising with no permanent government in place and an uncertain political future, it’s a solution that Egyptians seem ready to, if not embrace, at least accept.