Core structures of the Egyptian government are heading toward a stable democracy, but over the next five years, the process is likely to be a rocky one, an international political analyst told students Tuesday night during a discussion about the unrest in the Middle East.

Bruce Rutherford, doctoral graduate from Yale and author of “Egypt After Mubarak: Liberalism, Islam, and Democracy in the Arab World,” led a conversation about the wave of revolutions in the Middle East known as the “Arab Spring.” Having studied Egypt for 25 years and lived there for 6 years, Rutherford focused on the events surrounding the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak and the path to an Egyptian democracy.

President David Boren, who was in attendance Tuesday, said he decided to invite Rutherford to speak after CNN’s Fareed Zakaria recommended Rutherford’s book.

“The events surrounding this generation of students rival the drama other generations watched with the fall of the Berlin Wall,” Boren said.

Rutherford explained that the military, the Muslim Brotherhood and the labor movement are the three essential actors on the Egyptian stage.

The Egyptian military, which holds power in transitional Egypt, may want to play a bigger role in the drafting of the new constitution, and it worries whether it can function within a new democracy, Rutherford said.

“The military is very nervous for public accountability, and it needs assurances to relax,” he said. “Negotiation is essential, but a compromise is likely to leave the military dissatisfied.”

The Muslim Brotherhood, also known as the Freedom and Justice Party, has called for free elections, an independent judiciary and the protection of civil rights, but the public has become skeptical over the party’s intentions, Rutherford said.

Rutherford identified the labor movement as the culmination of the poor working conditions and low salaries suffered by citizens.

“Essentially, we’re watching decades of grievances come up to the surface,” Rutherford said. “People want to get progress on these issues that they’ve been frustrated with, but at the same time, [the widespread strikes] hurt the economy.”

The reform of security services into a trustworthy force and the consolidation of the plethora of political parties will be key processes on the road to peace, Rutherford said.

“Right now, the military has very much the mentality of the Mubarak regime. There once was a collective illusion that the military was dedicated to democracy, [but now], the goals of the military and the democracy are at odds,” Rutherford said.

Since the first day of parliamentary voting coincided with the discussion, Rutherford explained the devilishly complex voting system. Voting for the upper and lower house of parliament will take place sequentially in a series of elections and runoffs spread over three Egyptian regions. By the end of the process, twelve rounds of voting will have occurred.

“The big question is when the presidential election will be scheduled,” Rutherford said detailing the process. “The military wants the drafting to occur before the election, but since the drafting could take up to a year, the opposition wants the election to precede the drafting.”

During the discussion, one student brought up 2010 OU activist-in-residence Mona Eltahawy’s recent detainment and sexual abuse at the hands of the Egyptian police force and asked if there was a future for improving the status of women in Egypt.

Rutherford said an improvement in status will be a telling sign of a completed revolution, and women in Egypt have played a vital role in leadership positions with education and media.

“I’m optimistic that there will be progress. Many are arguing for the centrality of women’s rights,” Rutherford said.

Rutherford also said that although the overthrow of Mubarak has been called a “Facebook revolution,” Al Jazerra likely played a bigger role by covering the protests.

“Every Egyptian household had beamed to their room the central square with thousands of people present and police abusing citizens,” Rutherford said. “This imagery was very important in getting people to come down.”

On the issue of America’s actions, Rutherford said the U.S. must pressure the military to stay on schedule with the transition process, facilitate bargaining between factions and stimulate Egypt’s economy in order to play a constructive role.

Political science senior Sara Ciccolani-Micaldi said she decided to attend the discussion at the behest of her professor, Chrales Kenney.

“It was really interesting to hear all of this from someone who lived there, spoke to people in the square and experienced first-hand what has been culminating in Egypt,” Ciccolani-Micaldi said.

The dynamics between the military and the Muslim Brotherhood and the fact that they deeply distrust each other was enlightening to hear, Ciccolani-Micaldi said.

“As college students, it’s important for us to do things that are outside of our area of comfort and become well-rounded people of the world,” Ciccolani-Micaldo said.