Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was overthrown and detained by the nation's army in July, just one year after he became the country's first democratically elected president. Egypt is now again at a crossroads, as it was one year ago. Li Shaoxian, Vice President of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, believes that the Egyptian military made ​​the worst possible choice in how it has dealt with this issue. Excerpts of his opinion on this matter follow:

Since the ousting of President Morsi, Egypt has been in a state of chaos. The country is on the brink of collapse. Egypt's military has taken center stage in Egyptian politics, and vowed to defend the country's people. But replacing President Morsi with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court won't solve the nation's problems. In fact, Morsi has made vigorous efforts to promote political restructuring since he was sworn in last year. 

Over the past year, Egyptians have been deeply divided by differing views on the relationship between religion, secularism and the state. The country's society is seriously fragmented, and so it is difficult to reach consensus on any major issue. This can be seen in the origins of Egypt's current scenario: Morsi's government rushed through a constitutional referendum last December that would guarantee him more powers. The referendum, however, caused further resentment and opposition, which eventually led to Morsi's removal from office.

Morsi failed to live up to the expectations of Egyptians who voted for him. He didn't effectively deal with Egypt's struggling economy, revive its suffering tourism sector, or improve Egyptian people's livelihoods. Because of these failings, the Egyptian army toppled President Morsi.

But many analysts say that Egypt's military leaders have made a bad decision. In fact, Egypt's army should have helped manage the nation's unrest by forcing Morsi to reach a compromise with the opposition, and thereby underline the military's supremacy and defend its dignity. However, Egypt's army seized power directly from Morsi, a decision that will result in additional complications.

The Egyptian military now faces several challenges. First, Egypt now has two individuals claiming to be president. Adli Mansour, the top judge of Egypt's constitutional court, has been sworn in as interim president while Mohamed Morsi insists that he is Egypt's first democratically elected president.

Second, they must manage flaring political tensions. Egypt's opposition, taking advantage of the protests, demanded the resignation of Morsi, and the Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi's support base, is now protesting Morsi's removal from office. These protests by the Muslim Brotherhood, which aim to force Morsi's reinstatement, should come as no surprise to the military.

Third, the most serious problem facing Egypt is that the country's society is currently deeply divided. Opposition leader Mohamed El Baradei said it is time for "national reconciliation" so that the country can move forward. But he has rejected any compromise offered by the Muslim Brotherhood that would resolve the current stalemate. It is also unlikely that the Muslim Brotherhood will accept any deal offered by ElBaradei.  

If Egypt's political impasse continues, the Egyptian military is likely to become the nation's biggest target for protests and attacks.

The first flames of the 2011 Arab Spring started in Tunisia and swept through North Africa and the Middle East. In the wake of this movement, Tunisia is suffering from political instability; Libya has been troubled by armed separatist conflicts; Syria is fighting a bloody civil war; and chaos has returned to Egypt, making world headlines. It seems that the country is now right back where it was one year ago.

The significance of the Arab Spring cannot be denied. The Arab Spring uprisings fought not only against economic disparity and social injustice, but also for identity and dignity. The movement is an effort made by the people of Arab countries to revive their nations, seek modernity and regain their rightful place in the world. CA