The palpable optimism that permeated Egypt in the immediate aftermath of the revolution after the ouster of longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak is starting to fade as more than a year later, the country continues to struggle with an unwieldy political transition and a stagnant economy.
With a new parliament and soon a new president, Egypt will have a government in place, but that alone will not be enough to promote lasting stability in the country. Stability depends on whether Egypt’s economy can generate enough “just jobs”—complete with appropriate remuneration, good working conditions, and opportunities for average citizens to make a better life for themselves and their families—to give the nation’s new democracy the underpinning it needs to thrive.
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