Regarding the current situation in Egypt, as with all news, it is best to avoid the American media. But it leaves us in a bind. Information is swirling about everywhere. What’s reliable? For myself, not that I even need to have an opinion but always have one anyway, I try to stick to what I know to be true, some large principles.
Egypt is ruled by its military in velvet glove fashion, that is, it is allowed apparent democratic governance, but if things get out of hand, the military cracks down. The US supplies virtually all military hardware and trains officers. Ergo, the US rules Egypt in a velvet glove fashion.
Those who write checks have power over those who endorse checks. (The same is true of Israel – it is inescapable.)
Public unrest was tripped in Egypt in 2011, some say as part of the so-called “Arab Spring.” But who can speak for mobs? They don’t think too well. General discontent led to replacement of Hosni Mubarek with Mohamed Morsi, but the US does not allow free elections where outcomes are not under control, so it was a safe bet that Morsi was a tool, as he quickly showed himself to be.
A common element of both administrations was the presence of the International Monetary Fund, and its austerity regime. It is probably safe to say that issues closest to home are what motivate people to take to the streets, and hunger, high prices, poor public services and unemployment naturally follow austerity, so that it’s not unreasonable to suggest that Egypt is in mass protest over IMF-imposed austerity.
So in reality the Egyptian people were given a choice between rule by a US puppet or rule by the US-controlled military. In taking to the streets to depose Morsi, they have effectively chosen rule by the military. There are no other options in a US client state.
It could get very ugly there. Moon Of Alabama, as always, offers insight and many varied voices on the matter. It’s a dangerous situation, but at least the fraudulent nature of Egyptian democracy is exposed. Perhaps it will be here someday too.
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Update: Washington’s apparent choice to replace Morsi is Mohamed El Baradei, like Obama, a Nobel Laureate. However, there is a backlash to yet another American puppet, so the coup faction is backing away from that choice. It must be emphasized that mere popular discontent expressed in demonstrations does not signal democratic reform, and often enough can be stimulated by factions who care even less about the native population than those in power. It’s complicated. Morsi proved himself inept in office, disappointing those who want a solid leader who serves western interests while keeping local factions in perpetual infighting.
“Camp David” freed Israel from a threat to its southern flank, allowing it to attack Lebanon and concentrate on stealing Palestine from its occupants. “Camp David” is essential to the USS Israel’s continuing threat to the region, and will not be undone. If local power does unite behind a non-western leader, a bloodbath will ensue. Egypt is too strategically vital to go it’s own way.
Piece of Mindful 
I say bring it on, its an embarrassment to our president who backed Morsi but more importantly egg on the face of the news writers who coined the term “Arab Spring”.
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Even tho this article was posted on the 4th I just read it 5 minutes ago.
Great minds think alike.
http://www.michaelyoussef.com/michaels-blogs/egyptian-egg-on-obamas-face.html
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I try to stick to what I know to be true, some large principles.
But are they consistent principles?
The large principle here seems to be that Egypt is an economic basket case, with more people than resources. How does this go well with any political system?
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I wonder why a country with a river in the middle has food shortages. Are they a resource colony?
Consistent? who knows.
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One river with not that much arable land and lots of people. Even if the math works out, the margin of safety is vanishingly slim.
We sort of give them food so they are nice to Israel. I’m not sure how this works out long term.
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One river and no tourists.
If your intentions are turning a once desirable tourist destination into a Sharia based hellhole then don’t expect your economy/employment to thrive.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/02/08/136782.html
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Smug much?
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I don’t think it necessary to produce all your own food, as many countries are doing well that import their food. I think it’s more complicated. At least part of the problem is this austerity notion that government spending is a drain on resources, when it is actually a wealth-producing activity. Given that one good teacher is worth 25 bankers, but that a banker makes more than 25 teachers, it doesn’t hurt to help the teachers pay for their food. I can’t see that being a problem.
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Lets do math.
If 1 Banker = 25 Teachers then based on past performance then 1 homeschooler parent = 25 Teachers.
Or 1B=25T and 1HS=25T then find the value of government run education.
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Home schooling can be beneficial or detrimental. Most of what I’ve seen is done for religious indoctrination, not helpful and certainly a poor source for future scientists. And “government” schooling has huge drawbacks, including false history and the testing regime. It’s complicated. I look over the landscape and think that we are an incredibly stupid country, and wonder if it s deliberate or natural.
Don’t get me going.
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…notion that government spending is a drain on resources, when it is actually a wealth-producing activity.
Let’s be careful here. At one time banking was a wealth producing activity, so men of ambition were urged to go into that activity: diminishing returns. Likewise road building can add wealth, but now it seems to consist of rehaping the barrow pit and importing future welfare recipients. More diminishing returns. Public officials around my parts have been greatly increasing education spending, but our standardized test scores are falling. (I try to tell people it tracks directly with the changing demographics, but then they hit me in the head with a ball peen hammer, so I guess I better shut up and stop noticing such things.)
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Not that dissimilar to Turkey before Erdogan. The military stepped in when “civil” government strayed from the approved script. A better economy, however.
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glad to see you’re following MoA. the comment threads aren’t what they use to be, but it’s still some of the best analysis I’ve come across, hands down.
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This doesn’t end well.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-07-07/pro-and-anti-egypt-coup-crowds-now-gathering-two-dramatic-pictures
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I do not like Arab music.
http://rt.com/on-air/protest-egypt-muslim-brotherhood/
Live coverage.
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You’ll have to do a little more research on El Baradei before you call him an American puppet. (See: War, Iraq.) Not to say that his installation to power isn’t disconcerting.
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Call it intuition, but in these situations the US choice is generally masked as a compromise between extremes, leading to the impression that s/he is a voice of sanity. This is exactly how Morsi was given to them and us. When he took office, he quickly de-cloaked and we learned that he was an IMF austerity zealot. The worsening prospects for US-backed death squads in Syria led the army to pull the plug when Morsi urged use of Egyptian troops to support them. Sounds to me like a puppet.
El Baradie now fits the same mold, the sensible choice among extreme alternatives. When CNN says he is a “logical choice,” I know he’s our boy.
Egypt is too important to US control of the region to allow a few mass demonstrations to derail billions in aid and training. If the outcomes does not favor US interests, there will be blood.
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