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August 16, 2013

At The Heart of the Conflict in Egypt, No Legitimacy in Ousting a Legitimately Elected President in a Military Led Coup

By Dave Lefcourt

Wednesday's crackdown by the interim gov't in Egypt against the supporters of deposed Pres. Morsi resulted in hundreds killed nationwide. There appears to be a return of brutal Mubarak type militarism & repression. W/ the military led coup of Morsi on July 3rd & brutal crackdown since the fact remains there is no legitimacy in ousting a legitimately elected president w/ a military coup which goes to the heart of the conflict.

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From http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mohamed_Morsi_cropped.png: Mohamed Morsi cropped
Mohamed Morsi cropped by Wikipedia

Ousted President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt

As of Wednesday, the latest crackdown by the "interim" government in Egypt against the supporters and protesters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi resulted in hundreds (over 800) killed nationwide.

Against the backdrop of this brutality authorized and backed by Egypt's generals, "interim" government Vice President Mohammed ElBaradei and Nobel Prize winner, resigned in protest saying, "I cannot bear the responsibility for one drop of blood". Other liberal groups that supported the military coup of Morsi criticized the military's use of lethal force.

Meanwhile in defense of the attacks on the mostly Islamic protesters, "interim" government Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi said, "We found that matters had reached a point that no self respecting state could accept" blaming the Muslim Brotherhood for inciting "anarchy" adding, "God willing, we will continue. We will build our democratic, civilian state".

But in truth, Egypt's "democratic civilian state" was toppled with the military coup that deposed Morsi on July 3 rd . Now with this current brutal crackdown of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists by this military led government, civil war is more likely to occur before rebuilding a "democratic civilian state" is possible again in Egypt.

Why is this likely? Well to all those "progressives" in the U.S. as well as those protesters in Egypt that took to the streets pushing for and demanding the military to oust Morsi, the fact is there is no legitimacy in forcing out a legitimately elected president in a military led coup. And that fact goes to the heart of the present downward spiral in Egypt.

In any legitimately elected government the military must be subordinate to the civilian authority. When that civilian authority is broken and overtaken by the military, the "democratic, civilian state" is destroyed in the process; precisely what has happened in Egypt.

Now in every "democratic civilian state", whether led by a president or a prime minister, will make mistakes in attempting to carry out his (her) duties and responsibilities. He (she) can not please all the people all the time, certainly not their most vociferous opposition.

In Egypt besides the political constraints imposed on Morsi i.e. no written constitution in place delineating the separation of powers between the elected president, parliament and the Court, no sitting parliament (previously disbanded by the Supreme Court as being overly dominated by Islamists and Muslim Brotherhood members[and all holdover appointees made under Mubarak that despised Morsi and the Brotherhood] and opposed him from the outset), there was persistently high unemployment, high food costs, poor public services (water, electricity), a decimated tourist industry (previously a main income producer of hard currency into the country) and government fiscal debt (mostly incurred during Mubarak's 30 year reign) had all contributed to the ongoing instability that plagued the country during the one year infancy of the democratically elected President Morsi.

Thus expectations by the Egyptian people, (in hindsight unrealistic considering some of the intractable problems that existed before that continued during Morsi's presidency, after a mostly bloodless revolution and the ouster of the hated Mubarak), outpaced the need for tolerance, patience and the nurturing of a fragile democracy by those people.

Now with the military led coup and brutal crackdown of protesters escalating into many hundreds killed, "tolerance, patience and nurturing" are hardly the watch words by the people. Instead there appears to be a return of brutal, Mubarak like militarism and repression as well as sectarian violence with the likelihood of civil war.

Egypt's road to a viable democratic civilian state was never going to be easy. Now that possibility seems remote at best.

  It just didn't have to happen this way.  



Authors Website: dglefc22733@aol.com

Authors Bio:
Retired. The author of "DECEIT AND EXCESS IN AMERICA, HOW THE MONEYED INTERESTS HAVE STOLEN AMERICA AND HOW WE CAN GET IT BACK", Authorhouse, 2009

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