The situation surrounding Islamism and the political crisis in Egypt was discussed in Moscow today. The assembled experts were trying to find out whether the Egyptian coup is a collapse of Islamism or a beginning of its triumph.
The head of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vitaly Naumkin, believes that the recent developments in Egypt have changed the situation in the region in a crucial way.
"We have always believed that there are three groups of Islamists - moderate, orthodox and radicals (jihadists), but now everything is different. The Muslim Brotherhood may soon be labeled a terrorist organization, the orthodox Islamists have recognized the new government, while Saudi Arabia that has always supported the Islamist movement now supports the Egyptian military," he says.
Russian diplomat Alexander Aksenyonok thinks the military handed power over to the Muslim Brotherhood on purpose, hoping that the Islamists would make major mistakes and undermine their own reputation.
Aksenyonok believes the coup will not lead to the establishment of democracy. "There has been no democracy in Egypt and there won't be any," he says. He also notes that it's very hard to predict how the events will unfold.
Member of the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Affairs Veniamin Popov underlines that the influence of Arab countries (such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait) in Egypt is increasing. On the other hand, tensions with those countries that supported the Muslim Brotherhood (Qatar, Turkey and Iran) are also increasing.
