After the end of President Mubarak’s nearly 30 years of power, the people of Egypt held their first democratic election. Muhammad Morsi, who belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood party, was elected to lead the tumultuous country. Just one year later, and after many accusations of negligence and incompetence, President Morsi’s political opponents laid down their demands for change within the country. By July 3rd, time was up. Seventeen million people turned out nationwide, and at the doorstep of the presidential palace to protest his unwillingness to step down. So now, Egypt is finding itself in a familiar bind; stuck between a dictatorship and an uncertain future. What exactly caused them to make such a radical move against their first democratically elected president? Can this reasonably be referred to as a coup d'état? And what is the plan now?
A shattered economy and country gave plenty of reason for nationwide outrage. Mubarak’s 30-year legacy left Egypt suffering from daily blackouts and gas shortages. Once the power shifted from Mubarak’s dictatorship to Morsi’s presidency, the cracks in the old system were easily seen, and Morsi was there as a prime target for blame. But as we mentioned earlier, Mohammed Morsi was democratically elected. It was the people’s choice. Still, millions of citizens were not too happy with Mr. Morsi, partly because of his pro-Islamic agenda. So, the military took the lead in the usurpation of Morsi. They claimed to be staging peaceful protests. But, the more than 18, pro-Morsi, people killed and over 200 injured in Tahrir Square by the military would probably say otherwise.
Morsi defiantly refused to step down, even after the ransacking of the national headquarters in Mokattam by protesters on July 1st. The anti-Morsi protesters violently broke the windows of the headquarters. The mob looted the building and stole important documents along with office equipment. Eight individuals died as a result; which was confirmed by The Health and Population Ministry. Morsi accused the military of taking sides in the crisis; which would become evident a few days later when General Abdul Fatah al-Sisi removed President Mohamed Morsi and suspended the Egyptian constitution. Morsi was put under house arrest and leaders of The Muslim Brotherhood were arrested. The military then appointed Chief Justice Adly Mansour as the interim president. What did the U.S. have to say about this?
The United States was reluctant to get involved. Egypt is one of their most important allies and plays a key role in keeping some measure of stability in the Middle East. At first they were reluctant to even refer to the event as a coup. And they saw some legitimacy in the overthrow of Morsi based on the military’s promise of holding new elections. The question of whether or not it was a coup or a popular uprising was the main factor in the U.S. reluctance to get involved. Currently, the U.S. gives 1.3 billion dollars in aid to Egypt every year. It’s a topic of strong debate, but it’s also good to remember that foreign aid makes up only 1% of the total U.S. budget. And since the United States has a vested interest in Egypt, primarily for its oil, it is definitely a tough decision to make. Should the U.S. continue giving aid to Egypt in order to preserve its good relationship? Or, should they cut off all aid to avoid getting involved with a coup, something the U.S. is against? So, the most important question is: is this really a coup?
The day after Morsi was taken down; the military’s defense Minister Abdul Fatah al-Sisi informed the country on public television that Mohammed Morsi was no longer the president of Egypt. In response, The Brotherhood’s leader, exclaimed, "We shall stay in the squares until we bring President Morsi back to power." Meanwhile, opponents of Morsi danced in the streets and celebrated with fire crackers, horns, and lasers. Arrest warrants were issued by the military for over 300 members of The Muslim Brotherhood.
Was this really a coup? At first, the U.S. and most of the press was apprehensive to call it a coup. But let us take a look at the actual definition of a coup. It is "the sudden, forcible overthrow of a ruler, government, etc., sometimes with violence, by a small group of people already having some political or military authority." - Webster`s New World College Dictionary (Fourth Edition). The leaders appear to have both political and military authority. Military authority is pretty obvious. The muscle behind the movement is after all, the Egyptian military. What about political authority? It’s pretty clear based on their choice for the interim, or temporary, president: Adli Monsour. Monsour was a senior judge and was never elected. That takes care of both forms of authority. We can also see from the killings of Morsi supporters during their protests, that violence was a factor. And as of late, editors at the Associated Press have advised their staff, that the term coup is a fitting way to describe the overthrow of President Morsi.
On June 28th Morsi clearly knew what the intentions were of many of his opposers. There were legitimate complaints: a bad economy, failure to unite the country, and an anti-secular, pro-Islamist agenda. But there was also a strong internal system of authority that benefitted from the rule of the dictator that Morsi replaced. He stated in his address to the nation that, “There are those who crave the ability to turn back the clock and revert to the state of corruption, oppression, monopolization and injustice. It seems, unfortunately, that there are those among us who cannot imagine being able to eat or live without it.” Did he have a point? Maybe. After the removal of president Morsi, Egypt saw dramatic and almost instantaneously improved conditions for many people across Egypt. Long lines at gas stations disappeared. Daily power outages stopped and the police returned to the streets; bringing back some order. How could this have been organized so quickly?
It is fairly suspicious that the devastating gas and power crisis were resolved so quickly. Some believe that the many people left in power after the revolution of 2011 purposely held back from working with Morsi. In his own words, “Remnants of the former regime sold everything in the country while they were in power. It won’t be possible to get rid of the sickness of the former regime that squandered so much.” The Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of Morsi claim that the sudden improvements are evidence that his opponents conspired against him. They wanted him to fail. . “Different circles in the state, from the storage facilities to the cars that transport petrol products to the gas stations, all participated in creating the crisis.” said Naser el-Farash, former spokesman for the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade under Mr. Morsi.
Only one day after the Egyptian army killed dozens of Muslim Brotherhood members did Saudi Arabia and The United Arab Emirates donate $8 billion (yes, billion) dollars in financial aid. It’s no surprise considering that The Saudi ruler, Bashar al-Assad, accused the Muslim Brotherhood of leading the Arab Spring movement. Assad considered it a direct threat to his sovereignty. So, when he got wind of the ousting of president Morsi, he signed over one big check to make sure the military had enough resources to keep his enemy out of power. He stated, "What is happening in Egypt is the fall of what is known as political Islam." He went on to say, "After a whole year, reality has become clear to the Egyptian people. The Muslim Brotherhood's performance has helped them see the lies the (group) used at the start of the popular revolution in Egypt."
The police returning to the streets may be the biggest rational for the conspiracy argument. Ihab Youssef is a retired police officer, and a leader of a professional association for the security forces. “You had officers and individuals who were working under a specific policy that was against Islamic extremists and Islamists in general,” stated Youssef. He went on to say, “Then all of a sudden the regime flips and there is an Islamic regime ruling. They could never psychologically accept that.” Muhammad Morsi was never able to combat this attitude. He also had to contend with one of Egypt’s richest men: Naguib Sawiris.
Naguib Sawiris is not a fan of The Muslim Brotherhood. And he’s definitely not a fan of Muhammed Morsi. He used his immense wealth to lead an active campaign against the president. He admits to supporting a group called, “Tamarrod”, which translates to “rebellion” in English. Tamarrod sought to drive out Morsi with a massive petition. Naguib Sawiris also built a political party called, “The Free Egyptians”. He used their offices nationwide to organize the rebellion. He also founded a major television network and private newspaper. These were both used to publicize the campaign against Morsi. Why was Sawiris so passionately against Morsi’s presidency? He predicted that the coup would urge neighboring countries to donate billions of dollars in aid to avoid the threat of the Islamist movement, which Morsi so famously pushed, from trickling into their neighborhoods. He was right. A total of $12 billion poured in from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. “That will take us for 12 months with no problem,” he said. FYI, you might want to check out the music video he commissioned for his station. It’s pretty, umm, entertaining. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZArV7Z-oMo
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: "In their protests, many Egyptians have voiced deep frustrations and legitimate concerns. At the same time, military interference in the affairs of any state is of concern. Therefore, it will be crucial to quickly reinforce civilian rule in accordance with principles of democracy”. He clearly condemned the violent shootings of civilians, but still did not label the event as a military coup. His spokesman, Martin Nesirky, said, "I think Secretary-General's statements about this issue are quite explicit. He doesn't approve army's interference in state affairs and said government should be given to civilians. This statement shows our attitude." And High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay urged that everyone involved begin to work together towards restoring order and protecting people from needless detentions while respecting their human rights.
The Egyptian military appointed interim president, Adly Mansour shortly after the coup. They then outlined a path to a return to democracy by planning elections within the coming year. Adly Mansour has since appointed a prime minister and vice president. Some criticize this move saying that it is nothing more than a human face on a military takeover. It is not an unfair notion since the army is known to be concerned over losing their powerful economic interests that they have accumulated throughout six decades. The admiral plan to revert back to a true democracy is complicated by the targeting of officials of The Muslim Brotherhood. It is risky to go through another transition just after a major revolt against a dictatorship. And the recent preparations to launch an attack against militants in Egypt’s own Sinai Peninsula certainly do not help.
Where in the world is Muhammad Morsi? We know that Morsi was sequestered in a Republican Guard barracks right after the coup. The military also secured the area with tanks and troops. They detained the ousted president, along with at least seven of his top aids. But where is he? Authorities won’t say. But, according to foreign ministry spokesman Badr Abdelatty he is currently being held in a "safe place, for his safety." Adding, “He is not charged with anything up till now,". Umm, ok.
As of now, it’s hard to say which side is right. There is reason to believe that Morsi’s opponents purposely planned to overthrow him from the beginning. Financial and political interests, along with the overwhelming evidence that police forces held back from enforcing the law while Morsi was president, give credence to the idea that his opponents made sure that he was doomed from the start. The millions of protestors against Morsi’s push for Islamic (versus secular) values, and his failure to unite the country economically and politically also give a valid point. It seems that the country might never come to a complete consensus. Even when it comes to the United States, Morsi’s opponents accuse him of being a puppet of the Obama administration. All the while, supporters of Mohammed Morsi accuse the White House of perpetrating his overthrow. This is what we know now. The rest is sure to be another interesting saga, courtesy of Egypt.
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