All things Middle East related

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule

‏@BreakingNews 3m

Report: Egypt's army erects barbed wire, barriers around barracks where President Morsi working, witnesses say - @Reuters
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‏@BreakingNews 6m

Armored vehicles seen outside Cairo University in Egypt - @AJELive (fixes typo)
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So much for democracy in Egypt.

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by Ruhskins

So much for democracy in Egypt.

Breaking News ‏@BreakingNews 9m

Communication with Egypt's President Morsi has been cut off as reported military coup continues - @NBCNews

Yep. One of the things about the US, which I always am amazed at, is the total commitment by the military to the ideal of civilian control. As large as the bureacracy of the military is, the top brass don't just offer lip service to that, they truly buy into it. It is one of the few trusts in US society which I feel hasn't ever been broken, and one which very few other societies really comprehend. The Egyptian military may very well be acting on behalf of alot of the public, but, it's still acting outside of democratic principles. I don't think they get the difference. And that's a shame.

[Lotus]

Making the Egyptian scene murkier is the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood wrote the constitution and made it Brotherhood- rather than democracy-friendly. So, from the standpoint of many non-Brotherhood Egyptians, Egypt hasn't yet had democracy, as it was usurped by Morsi et.al. Throwing out Morsi with the army, from this point of view, is pro-democracy, not anti-democracy.

I'm not making an argument of my own, just mentioning the muddy waters.

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by Lotus

Making the Egyptian scene murkier is the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood wrote the constitution and made it Brotherhood- rather than democracy-friendly. So, from the standpoint of many non-Brotherhood Egyptians, Egypt hasn't yet had democracy, as it was usurped by Morsi et.al. Throwing out Morsi with the army, from this point of view, is pro-democracy, not anti-democracy.

I'm not making an argument of my own, just mentioning the muddy waters.

Interesting Lotus, and I admit I haven't followed it close, so I am just feeding off what Twitter feeds me. Here's my latest snack:

@AP 25m

BREAKING: Egypt's military chief says president is replaced by chief justice of constitutional court -MM
Retweeted by Laura E. Davis
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If they actually do instill a democratic process, and then back out, it would be a good thing. Remember we went through a period under the Articles of Confederation where we didn't "get it right" either. Finding the right balance of military/civilian/politico's is tough to do, for any society.

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule

Interesting Lotus, and I admit I haven't followed it close, so I am just feeding off what Twitter feeds me. Here's my latest snack:

@AP 25m

BREAKING: Egypt's military chief says president is replaced by chief justice of constitutional court -MM
Retweeted by Laura E. Davis
Expand

If they actually do instill a democratic process, and then back out, it would be a good thing. Remember we went through a period under the Articles of Confederation where we didn't "get it right" either. Finding the right balance of military/civilian/politico's is tough to do, for any society.

That's very good news. If it were a pure military coup, a general would now be President.

Hopefully this will be a wake-up call for the Islamic world. Islamist politics have their attraction to many Muslims, just as we have people here attracted to pro-Christian politics. But the economic and social history of Islamists in positions of power has been poor in recent decades. Muslim politicians with Islamist agendas typically don't know how to run a thriving economy and this was true for Morsi in Egypt. Egypt's problems could, by reaction, expand the numbers of political secularists across the Muslim world, where you vote for the guy with money sense rather than for the guy thumping his Qur'an.