The scenes on my television set remind me of Manila in 1986. The People Power revolution in the Philippines resulted in a democracy, but not the progress and development that Filipinos were anticipating. Instead, the return to democracy in the Philippines became a game of elite interests, with no real attempt to satisfy the demads of ordinary citizens. Even the token land reform measures introduced had no real effect in mitigating rural poverty. Most Filipinos would argue that their country is actually worse off now than it was under Ferdinand Marcos. The country has not developed economically and political freedom has not increased in any significant way.
I fear that the same thing may happen in Egypt. The crucial difference is that the military in the Philippines remained an instrument of elite control, while in Egypt the military seems to be confident enough to challenge elite power. It remains to be seen just how much of a guarantor of real democracy the military is willing to be.