by Dan Margalit
It's official: Egypt's
Defense Minister Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has deposed President Mohammed
Morsi. Another revolution made it to the history books. July, with its
high temperatures, has a tendency to produce revolutions and regime
changes in the land of the Nile.
Sixty-one years ago to
the month, Muhammad Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser spearheaded the Free
Officers' coup that ousted King Farouk and sent him into exile. In July
2012, Morsi appointed Hesham Kandil as prime minister. His government
imploded within the year. Once again, in July.
The United States is
celebrating 237 years of independence on Thursday. That the downfall of
the Muslim Brotherhood took place on this day is charged with symbolism.
U.S. President Barack Obama has actively contributed to the mirage of
Egyptian democracy under the Muslim Brotherhood that has developed in
the wake of his Cairo Address in 2009, after which he abandoned his
ally, former President Hosni Mubarak.
Obama threw his support
behind Morsi, dismissing reports that his election was rigged, because
he believed the Muslim Brotherhood's voice was the voice of the Egyptian
street.
Obama was convinced
that there were moderates in the Muslim Brotherhood. He envisioned a
Turkish-style democracy emerging in Egypt, only to discover that
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was constantly obstructing
the American bandwagon's path.
Obama's phone call to
Morsi reflects a sense of disappointment in Washington over the Muslim
Brotherhood's conduct and their supposed promise of democracy. During
the call, Obama hinted that Morsi, only a year into his first term as
president, should start packing. Sissi's announcement late Wednesday
night made that suggestion a reality, and Morsi is no longer in charge.
The Muslim
Brotherhood's failure was inevitable; it had nothing meaningful to offer
to the tens of millions of starved, unemployed Egyptians or those who,
despite their academic backgrounds, are now aimlessly wandering the
streets.
Morsi's departure dashed the romantic hope that there was someone inside the Muslim Brotherhood you could do business with.
For now though, the
turmoil continues. Some form of military council will be in charge, but
Israel should not shed a tear. Morsi alienated everyone, but because of
the geo-political situation, he felt compelled to maintain
Israeli-Egyptian cooperation on defense matters. This was evident in the
coordinated redeployment of forces in Sinai that was meant to counter
the global jihad elements in the peninsula.
There is good reason to
believe that these professional ties will continue, perhaps even
improve. Although the protesters in Tahrir held on to tradition by
chanting anti-Israeli slogans, such chants have more to do with what
they were taught to believe than with any core conviction. Their rage is
directed at Hamas in the Gaza Strip more than at the Jewish state,
because the former represents the Muslim Brotherhood.
From a regional viewpoint, the Muslim Brotherhood has made enormous strides over the past several years.
One state after another fell by the wayside, and the Brotherhood filled in the vacuum. Each victory propelled them to the next.
Among the affected
countries, Egypt is the most important; if the Muslim Brotherhood's
gains could be undone in Cairo, perhaps too in other Arab states, one
after another.
As they say in Arabic, in sha Allah (God willing).
Dan Margalit
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=4871
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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