Egypt In Turmoil As Defiant Morsi Stands Firm Over 'Coup' Threat
President retains US backing and refuses to bow down to two-day ultimatum from the head of the nation's armed forces
by Patrick Kingsley
Egypt was thrown into fresh turmoil on Monday when President Mohamed Morsi's aides
indicated he would not give in to the threat of a military coup just hours after the
army gave him two days to placate the millions who have taken to the streets calling for
his departure.
The head of Egypt's armed forces, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, threatened direct
military involvement in the political process "if the demands of the people are not
met", in a statement implying that Morsi should either step down or at least call early
elections.
The presidency indicated that it viewed the statement as a coup d'etat. . . .
As the night wore on, Morsi's position seemed ever more untenable, with the Ministry of
the Interior announcing its "complete solidarity" with Egypt's armed forces, and the
army taking control of local government headquarters in Fayoum, a governorship south of
Cairo. . . .
[Washington engineered Hosni Mubarak's ouster. He fell from grace. He
opposed Obama's regional agenda. It cost him dearly.
He became more liability than asset. Mohammed Morsi replaced him.
He's Washington's man in Egypt. Hard line rule continues.
Morsi's its public face. Egypt's anti-democratic tradition persists.
Junta power rules. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF)
runs things.--Stephen Lendman, "Mass
Protests Rock Egypt," sjlendman.blogspot.com, July 1, 2013]
[Secular Algerians supported their army in 1992 when it cancelled the second round of
elections which would have been won by the Islamic Salvation Front. The "national
security" of the state was in danger, the Algerian generals said - the very words used
by Egypt's military leaders on Monday. And there followed in Algeria a civil war that
killed 250,000 people.--Robert Fisk, "Military rule would be more
like the silly junta who took over after Mubarak," independent.co.uk, July 1, 2013]
[Far from a spontaneous uprising by Egyptians, - aka "a people's revolution" - what
really happened was a putsch orchestrated by Egypt's "deep government" and outside
powers - the latest phase of the counter-revolution against the so-called Arab Spring. .
. .
The dictatorship's old guard - better known as the "deep government" - sought to thwart
every move of the Brotherhood.--Eric Margolis, "The
US Destroys a Moderate Muslim Regime," lewrockwell.com, July 8, 2013
[The Mubarakist bourgeoisie's response was that Egypt was theirs to pillage alone and
that they would not allow some Islamist upstarts to move in on their territory. . . .
Mubarak's bourgeoisie set their media empires loose on Mursi and the MB. Week after
week, hour after hour, on television, in the press, on social media, especially Facebook
but also twitter, a campaign of vilification, exaggerations, and outright lies would
ensue. . . . Gripped by popular fascist love fests for the army, Egypt is now ruled by an army
whose top leadership was appointed and served under Mubarak, and is presided over by a
judge appointed by Mubarak, and is policed by the same police used by Mubarak.--Joseph
Massad, "Mubarakism
Without Mubarak: The Struggle for Egypt," counterpunch.org, July 12, 2013]