The ouster of Morsi by massive popular mobilizations is a momentous thing. The takeover by the military is extremely ominous. They are not allies of Egyptian working people & intervened to thwart democracy & social transformation, not advance them.
The military was never not in control & worked closely with Morsi & the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). Without the electoral camouflage of the MB they now run the country openly. Their first acts appear to be scapegoating the MB by closing their news stations & sending armored vehicles & troops to MB gatherings. That is an ominous sign & by no means something to cheer about.
(Photo of protestors in Tahrir Square by Suhaib Salem/Reuters)
Yes but as Hossam El-Hamalawy puts it today: "The army would not have dared to intervene unless there was already 30 million Egyptians protesting in the streets demanding Morsi's removal. All what the Camp David army cares about is stability and the protection of their political/business privileges. The military thought the Islamists could 'stabilize' Egypt. They were wrong. Never were strikes and protests as high as under Morsi's reign. These coming days will involve lots of walking on eggshells. It's February 2011 again, except one is less euphoric, burdened with concerns."
ReplyDeleteHe leaves too much unexplained here, tgia. The military is very much integrated into the neoliberal economy and are not just auxillary to it or paid guardians of it. I've been looking for El-Hamalawy's analyses and this tweet is insufficient.
ReplyDeleteI'll find the link, Mary.
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