If you were Egypt's president, what would you do if millions of Egyptians poured into the streets demanding that you go? During his election campaign last year Muhammad Morsi said that no one would demonstrate against him because as president he would faithfully represent the people's will. "But if they do," he added firmly, "I would be the first to resign." Egypt's first ever freely elected president did not resign, even when his capacity to govern evaporated as perhaps 10m people across the country took to the streets at the end of June to scream for his departure. Instead, like his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, only 30 months earlier, Mr Morsi had to be deposed by the Egyptian army. It was as if the Arab spring had never happened: the first of a new generation of leaders, as well as the generals, behaved much as their predecessors did.
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