This time, the rules of the game in Egypt will be very different than in the past.

This time the president is elected; he is a civil and legitimate ruler.

This time the army will not enter the fray unless under the written condition that if it does so it will not return to the barracks afterwards!

This time the police do not have the authorization to clash with demonstrators, and no police leader wants to be taken to court again accused of murder.

This time the street is not united against the regime, it is sharply divided between those protesting in favor of the regime and those protesting in favor of the opposition.

This time the political funding coming from abroad reflects a worrying trend of foreign expansion.

This time more than 15 million weapons have been smuggled from Libya and Sudan, and there are also local workshops manufacturing more.

This time many political forces are increasing their weapons stockpiles in a frightening manner.

This time the Copts feel extremely concerned over their personal safety.

This time there is no desire for dialogue, negotiation or settlement between the conflicting forces.

This time the judicial body is not a power to be exploited; rather it is a party to the dispute.

This time the president is sensing, through his narrow inner circle, that he is the target of many forces and therefore he feels that the atmosphere is subversive and dangerous.

This time the children on the streets will throw Molotov cocktails instead of stones; they might even replace these with primitive rifles and rapid-fire guns.

This time the hungry, the poor and the slum dwellers will come out not to demonstrate in Tahrir Square, but to plunder anything and everything they can get their hands on.

This time American or regional intervention will not be able to prevent the disaster.

This time all we can do is pray.