Thousands of miles from the streets of Cairo, a Boothbay Harbor accountant watches his native land undergo the second revolution in as many years.

“This time is magical because everybody knew the military had pledged a hands off policy,” Mohammad Osman said. “They (the military) made it clear they were not involved.”

“The military tried to broker and sponsor a national dialog between the (ousted Mohammed Morsi) government, his allies in the Muslim Brotherhood and the opposition. But Morsi said no. “So the people went to the streets,” he said.

Osman, a principal in the Boothbay Harbor Accounting/Consulting firm Osman/Page, has a unique insight into the protests in Cairo, his hometown.

He grew up in a family of professionals. In 1997, while attending the American University in Cairo, he met Boothbay native Jennifer Page, a Bowdoin College student studying abroad.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Two years ago, as the populace rallied in the center of Cairo triggering the ouster of the 30-year regime of strongman Hosni Mubarak, Osman watched the struggle unfold.

Although the Egyptian TV stations were muzzled, he sat in his Boothbay Harbor office, watched Al Jazeera Arabic service broadcast video of the rallies, then he called his father in Cairo and informed him of the latest news.

Mubarak supporters ripped through the crowds killing and wounding protesters.

This time he is watching with a smile on his face. He believes although an elected president was forced from office, it was done for the right reasons.

Osman said Morsi was elected and immediately went back on promises he made to those who helped him win the presidency.

“He turned 360 degrees around, violated our constitution, put his Muslim Brotherhood allies in office and they went after the respected institutions of our society. These included the attorney general, the judiciary. He went after the TV stations and newspapers.

“Yes, he was elected, but so was Hitler,” he said. “We just didn’t wait for four years to turn him out.”

Morsi violated the social contract with the people. He promised to reform, clean up corruption and did not, Osmon said.

Is there a chance Egypt will fall into civil war like Syria? Osman doesn’t think so.

“No, Egypt is not Syria. We are an old country. We have had a central government for thousands of years. We are a big country, 90 million or so people. This is not the 13th century and the Ottoman Empire.

“We are (a) modern, diverse nation with lots of religions and peoples. There are many old respected institutions, like the Army, and many old social civil leaders. It is not like Syria,” he said.

He explained the army has asked the judiciary to step in to manage the nation until new elections are held.

“Did you watch the press conference where the head of the military, (Gen. Abdel Fatah al Sissi) announced the suspension of the Morsi regime and the appointment of the caretaker government?

“There were clerics on the stage, there were other politicians in addition to the military officers. This shows the diversity of the opposition,” Osman said.

The Boothbay Harbor resident, who, along with is wife, is active in local civic affairs,  said he believes Dr. Mohammad El Baradei, the Nobel Peace Prize winning former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, will emerge as the new leader of Egypt.

What can the United States do during the struggle?

“Maybe we could decide to support the people and not dictators,” said the accountant.