Egyptians struggle to define 'new revolution'

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AP Cairo
Last Updated : Jul 05 2013 | 2:25 AM IST
The chants, the impatient anger and even the symbols were the same, right down to laser-generated messages of "Game Over" that were directed at Hosni Mubarak's regime in 2011 and this week turned against the elected president carried to power by the Arab Spring.
Where Egypt's bookend rebellions part company, however, is the psychology of the streets.
The protesters' latest gambit, embracing a far more fluid definition of democracy than simply a ballot-box victory, raises questions about how soon the Egypt's new military caretakers may be willing to return to elections and restore the constitution.
It also suddenly thrusts one of the Arab world's guiding nations into an uncomfortable quandary over the core goal of the region's uprisings: Opening political space for all voices and views.
"This is a new revolution," said 20-year-old college student Islam Ihab, using the phrase widely repeated by President Mohammed Morsi's opponents who refuse to describe his downfall as a coup, which is exactly what Morsi and his backers say has happened.
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First Published: Jul 05 2013 | 2:25 AM IST

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