Difficult path ahead for Egypt

The ouster of Mohamed Morsi from power in Egypt and the subsequent clashes have created political uncertainty in the country for the second time in two years. Muslim Brotherhood had supported the Freedom and Justice Party president to win the 2012 presidential election on the promise of promoting democracy and improving people's livelihood. But even after being in power for one year, Morsi didn't do much on either front.

Moreover, Morsi failed to win support of the military, the security forces and the judiciary. He couldn't establish effective communication with Egypt's other political parties either to form a national reconciliation government. Rather, he tried to "grab more power" by purging the military and usurping the full powers of the legislature and executive. No wonder, the opposition called him the "new Pharaoh".

The Morsi government achieved little in putting the Egyptian economy back on track. In fact, political instability in the country hurt the national economy, especially the tourism sector. And the situation was complicated further by the high unemployment rate.

In short, Morsi's failure on almost all fronts triggered widespread public discontent leading to the second uprising in Egypt in two years, which had the overwhelming support of leaders of non-Muslim groups, and secular and liberal forces. Perhaps Morsi's adherence to radical Islam and his relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood caused his downfall.