Egypt appears to be heading for a showdown that would have serious cosequences for the country’s future. The battle lines have hardened. On the one hand, President Mohamed Mursi’s hand-picked Defence Minister General Abdel Fattah Sisi, seems to have abandoned his benefactor as the armed forces issued an ultimatum demanding Mursi resolve differences with his opponents before 5 pm July 3. Failing to do so—virtually an impossible task since the opposition has flatly refused to enter into a dialogue with Mursi despite the latter’s repeated offers—the armed forces have said they will impose their own “roadmap”.
Egypt, it seems, is heading for another prolonged period of military rule with catastrophic consequences for the country. While Mursi has made numerous mistakes, short-circuiting his presidency in this manner would set Egypt back many decades and those that are clamoring for military intervention today would regret it tomorrow.
Mursi and his Prime Minister Hisham Qandil held a long meeting with General Sisi that was followed by contradictory statements. It was clear that the meeting did not go well for Mursi since it was first denied and later a photo appeared of the three men meeting. According to reports, it was a very long meeting. Earlier, a statement issued by the president’s office had said the armed forces statement was issued without consultation with Mursi and that he would deal with the situation according to his own timetable.
In a defiant speech late Tuesday night, Mursi then announced he would protect the presidency with his life. Other Muslim Brotherhood leaders called the military’s deadline a planned coup that they have vowed to resist.
Mohamed el-Beltagy, a Brotherhood leader, called upon the sons of families to fill the streets and squares to support the “legitimately” elected president. This has become the standard defence line Mursi has used in order to ward off calls for his resignation. In his speech, the president offered several concessions and even offered to take in youth and opposition leaders into his cabinet but sensing blood, the opposition appears in no mood to compromise.
As attitudes harden and the power struggle moves from the streets to one between the Brotherhood and the armed forces, it is not difficult to predict who would win. Military intervention, however, is fraught with its own dangers and Egypt like many other Muslim countries, has a terrible history of military do-gooders messing things up. The Egyptian military once again prepares to suspend the country’s constitution and potentially cripple the authority of its first democratically elected leader.
Three hours after Mursi’s Tuesday night speech, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) issued a statement of its own under the heading: “The Final Hour”, saying it was ready to die to defend Egypt’s people against terrorists and fools. Such strong language was clearly aimed at Mursi and his supporters.
To get a sense of what SCAF said, its official Facebook page ran the following statement: “We swear to God that we will sacrifice even our blood for Egypt and its people, to defend them against any terrorist, radical or fool.” It was clearly seen as a green light to Mursi’s opponents. The armed forces would have sounded more convincing if they had confronted the Zionist enemy even once and put up a good fight. Patting oneself on the back is no proof of valor.
While the showdown and defiant speeches and statements continue, the death toll from street clashes mount. A health ministry spokesman said the death toll from Cairo university attack on a pro-Mursi rally on Tuesday had risen to 16, with 200 injured. This was reported by Egyptian state television.
The potential for armed clashes between Brotherhood supporters and opponents as well as the armed forces has increased considerably. A number of cabinet ministers who are not members of the Brotherhood have also resigned.
In another ominous development, General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, had a long telephone conversation with General Sisi on Tuesday. No details were revealed but most informed observers saw this as a bad omen since Americans have historically operated through the armed forces in Muslim countries having a deep mistrust of civilians even if they are subservient to the US. Mursi has tried to ingratiate himself to the Americans but they still appear to prefer the military. Also, only a few weeks earlier, the US released its $1.3 billion military aid to Egypt’s armed forces.
Egypt, it seems, is heading for another prolonged period of military rule with catastrophic consequences for the country. While Mursi has made numerous mistakes, short-circuiting his presidency in this manner would set Egypt back many decades and those that are clamoring for military intervention today would regret it tomorrow.
In a defiant speech late Tuesday night, Mursi then announced he would protect the presidency with his life. Other Muslim Brotherhood leaders called the military’s deadline a planned coup that they have vowed to resist.
Mohamed el-Beltagy, a Brotherhood leader, called upon the sons of families to fill the streets and squares to support the “legitimately” elected president. This has become the standard defence line Mursi has used in order to ward off calls for his resignation. In his speech, the president offered several concessions and even offered to take in youth and opposition leaders into his cabinet but sensing blood, the opposition appears in no mood to compromise.
As attitudes harden and the power struggle moves from the streets to one between the Brotherhood and the armed forces, it is not difficult to predict who would win. Military intervention, however, is fraught with its own dangers and Egypt like many other Muslim countries, has a terrible history of military do-gooders messing things up. The Egyptian military once again prepares to suspend the country’s constitution and potentially cripple the authority of its first democratically elected leader.
Three hours after Mursi’s Tuesday night speech, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) issued a statement of its own under the heading: “The Final Hour”, saying it was ready to die to defend Egypt’s people against terrorists and fools. Such strong language was clearly aimed at Mursi and his supporters.
To get a sense of what SCAF said, its official Facebook page ran the following statement: “We swear to God that we will sacrifice even our blood for Egypt and its people, to defend them against any terrorist, radical or fool.” It was clearly seen as a green light to Mursi’s opponents. The armed forces would have sounded more convincing if they had confronted the Zionist enemy even once and put up a good fight. Patting oneself on the back is no proof of valor.While the showdown and defiant speeches and statements continue, the death toll from street clashes mount. A health ministry spokesman said the death toll from Cairo university attack on a pro-Mursi rally on Tuesday had risen to 16, with 200 injured. This was reported by Egyptian state television.
The potential for armed clashes between Brotherhood supporters and opponents as well as the armed forces has increased considerably. A number of cabinet ministers who are not members of the Brotherhood have also resigned.
In another ominous development, General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, had a long telephone conversation with General Sisi on Tuesday. No details were revealed but most informed observers saw this as a bad omen since Americans have historically operated through the armed forces in Muslim countries having a deep mistrust of civilians even if they are subservient to the US. Mursi has tried to ingratiate himself to the Americans but they still appear to prefer the military. Also, only a few weeks earlier, the US released its $1.3 billion military aid to Egypt’s armed forces.
Egypt, it seems, is heading for another prolonged period of military rule with catastrophic consequences for the country. While Mursi has made numerous mistakes, short-circuiting his presidency in this manner would set Egypt back many decades and those that are clamoring for military intervention today would regret it tomorrow.
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