CAIRO — Egypt has seen an alarming rise in violence this past week between protesters and security forces — a stark illustration that the army has botched the country’s political transition. Since President Hosni Mubarak left power in February, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has refused to open Egypt’s political system, creating dangerous incentives for groups to resolve their differences in the streets instead of the halls of power.

The latest fighting has left at least 14 people dead and many more injured, and soldiers have reportedly stripped some female protesters bare in the streets. The violence began on Dec. 16, when protesters blocked the entrance to the prime minister’s office after the supreme council appointed the Mubarak-era apparatchik Kamal el-Ganzouri as the new head of government. Ganzouri was minister of planning and prime minister in the Mubarak era. He represents the regime that revolutionaries hoped to bring down.

The supreme council blames a “hidden hand” for sparking the violence, citing foreign infiltration and the remnants of Mubarak’s regime — apart from themselves, of course. Regardless of who’s responsible, the army has missed a chance to lay down a road map for Egypt’s political transition, unwisely attempting to monopolize the entire process instead of sharing power with civilians.

Before leaving office, Mubarak empowered the supreme council with both executive and legislative powers. At first, protesters and members of the opposition thought the council would collaborate with them, but as they’ve found, it has no such desire.