Analysis - For Obama, tricky diplomatic geometry in democratic Egypt

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks on energy at Ubungo Power Plant in Dar es Salaam July 2, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With Egypt and its democratic experiment at a tipping point, U.S. President Barack Obama finds himself trying to nudge the most populous Arab country's bitterly divided antagonists toward compromise but finds his influence limited.

Where Obama and his predecessors once dealt with a single all-powerful figure - ousted strongman President Hosni Mubarak - the White House is now gingerly trying to persuade unpopular, but democratically elected, President Mohamed Mursi and Egypt's military to strike a political deal, all without alienating millions of Egyptians protesting in the streets.