Egypt’s transition to a new military-backed government after the ouster of Mohammed Morsi took a violent turn this week after several hundred supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi were killed during an assault on two protest camps by Egyptian security forces. In what must be the understatement of the year, the New York Times reported that “the scale and brutality of the attack—with armored vehicles, bulldozers, tear gas, snipers, live ammunition and birdshot—appeared to extinguish any hope of a political reconciliation that might persuade Mr. Morsi’s Islamist supporters to participate in a renewed democratic process under the auspices of the military-appointed government.”

Time will tell how this plays out, of course, as time is wont to do. This week’s stories examine internal ruptures of various degrees, ranging from civil protest to civil war, ready to read here on TMN or in an e-book you can export to your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, etc.