The Tampa Tribune posted an article today entitled, “Was the overthrow of Egypt’s government a coup?” Sounds like a very technical question, but right now it is a very important one. USA Today is reporting tonight that Egypt’s military suspended the constitution Wednesday, put President Morsi under house arrest, and ordered new elections.
The article in USA Today reports:
Al-Sisi (Army chief of staff Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, speaking on national television in front of a row of prominent political and religious leaders) said the chief judge of the constitutional court, backed by technical experts, would have full powers to run the country until the constitution is amended and new elections are held. Adli al-Mansour, the 67-year-old head of Egypt’s supreme constitutional court, is to be sworn in Thursday as interim president, state media.
The Tampa Tribute reminds us:
“U.S. aid is cut off when a democratically elected government is deposed by military coup or decree,” U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, a key decision-maker on U.S. foreign aid, said Wednesday. He said his foreign assistance committee “will review future aid to the Egyptian government as we wait for a clearer picture.”
As soon as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was removed from office, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) began consolidating their power in Egypt. Their goal was to set up a country ruled by Sharia Law, similar to Iran. Elections were held quickly because the MB was the only organized group in the country that could mount a successful campaign. The MB quickly took over the parliament and wrote Sharia Law into the constitution. There really was never to true chance for democracy in Egypt under the Muslim Brotherhood.
The people of Egypt are dealing with an economy that has collapsed. That may be part of the reason for their going back to Tahrir Square. The military has at least temporarily brought some order to the country, but it remains to be seen where we will go from here.
Much of the Egyptian military has been trained in the United States, and many members of the Egyptian military have positive feelings toward America and its people. Having the military run the country for a while would not be a bad thing for either America or Israel.
The military has at least temporarily taken over Egypt, but I am not sure what they did is an actual coup. It will be interesting to see what the Obama Administration does in terms of aid to the military during this transition period.
