A Recipe for Civil War?

The Constitutional vote on 14-15 January sends Egypt's democratic transition back to square one. There is uncertainty as to what the future may hold for the country.

While there are differences between the two cases, the experience of Algeria in the early 1990s - where a military coup following the electoral victory of the Front Islamique du Salut led to civil war - bears various resemblances to recent developments in Egypt.

One important lesson is that the repression of a political group that is supported by large segments of society undermines democracy and endangers peace.