Friedman writes in response to the Ibrahim verdict that Egypt "is in danger of becoming a banana republic." "That is the only conclusion one can draw from the show trial that ended this week, in which Saad Eddin Ibrahim, an Egyptian democracy scholar who also holds a U.S. passport, was sentenced to seven years in jail, essentially for promoting democracy and transparency in Egyptian parliamentary elections." The article did sting and led to responses in the Egyptian press (see the press review above).