Will Egypt Be the Next Syria?

Fourteen years ago, when the Jasmine Revolution forced Tunisia’s dictator, President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, to give up his 23-year grip on power and flee, many Egyptians wondered whether their country’s dictator would be next to fall. Not everyone thought he would. “Egypt is not Tunisia,” some Egyptian analysts declared. Less than a month later, however, hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered in Tahrir Square and deposed President Hosni Mubarak, who had ruled for 29 years. Since the flight of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and the collapse of his regime, observers in Egypt are once again wondering about the fate of their own country. Conditions seem to be ripe for change. But the question remains: Will Egypt follow Syria’s path?