On Tuesday, Egypt’s interim government named a new prime minister, Hazem el-Beblawi, an economist who served briefly as the interim military government’s finance minister after former president Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February 2011. Beblawi is a good choice, insofar as he seems to understand that one of Egypt’s core economic problems is that the government cannot afford to subsidize so many goods, from vital foodstuffs like bread and cooking oil to fuel.

“We must create a clear understanding for the public that the level of subsidies in Egypt is unsustainable, and the situation is critical,” said Beblawi. “The canceling of subsidies requires sacrifices from the public and therefore necessitates their acceptance.”