On May 27, 2014
Egyptian democracy crushed under the boot of another military ‘strongman’
© By John Arkelian
“Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” The more things seem to change, the more they stay the same. Nowhere is that more true than in Egypt, which has fallen back into the rigid embrace of military tyranny after a painfully brief flirtation with democracy. In February 2011, a protracted popular uprising, part of the so-called “Arab Spring,” swept one general turned president-for-life, Hosni Mubarek, from office after his nearly 30 year autocratic reign. Parliamentary elections in November 2011 gave Islamist candidates two-thirds of the seats, with half of those bearing allegiance to the 85-year-old Muslim Brotherhood movement. Then, in June 2012, a member of that movement, Mohammed Morsi, was elected president with 51.7% of the vote. It was a first for Egypt, despite that country’s long history – the democratic election of a civilian head of state. While this magazine holds no brief for Morsi or for the Muslim Brotherhood, it does appear that their electoral success was free and fair. Likewise, it appears that they adhered, more or less, to lawful measures once they assumed leadership of the government. But they remained bitterly unpopular with a large segment of Egypt’s divided population. Those who opposed them took to the streets en masse to angrily demand their ouster. Egypt’s military was only too happy to oblige, especially after the Morsi government amended the constitution in a failed attempt to bring the military under civilian control.
In July 2013, barely a year after he took office, Egypt’s first democratically elected president was forcibly (and unlawfully) removed by a military coup d’état. If that were not bad enough, the West acquiesced in the coup, declining even to call it by its rightful name, lest our own laws oblige us to suspend our sizeable military aid to the Egyptian generals. In the months that followed the coup, a travesty of justice has ensued, moving from one excess to another. An estimated one thousand Morsi supporters were slain in the streets while protesting the military overthrow of the elected government. Journalists have been suppressed and in some cases arrested. More recently, kangaroo courts have pronounced mass death sentences on hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters, on what gives every indication of being grossly trumped-up charges: On one occasion, 529 defendants were sentenced to death at the same time; on another occasion, an additional 683 were sentenced to death – among them Mohammed Badie, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. Unsubstantiated charges of “terrorism” were levied against Morsi, allegedly pertaining to his dealings with the Hamas administration in the Gaza territory that borders on Egypt. Morsi has been reduced to appearing in court isolated – from his lawyers and everyone else – in a soundproof glass cage. Apparently, Egyptian “justice” is not just blind, she is also deaf.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s new man on a white horse, General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, not content to exercise an iron grip behind the scenes, answered the (real or imagined) ‘call from the people’ to throw his camouflage helmet into the ring as a candidate in today’s (May 27th) presidential election. Having killed, cowed, or imprisoned his strongest rivals, effectively disenfranchising half of the nation’s population, this tin-pot pharaoh is a sure-bet to take the reins as Egypt’s latest military dictator. It’s quite an accomplishment for a man who previous claim to fame was defending the so-called “virginity tests” perpetrated by police on female protesters in Egypt’s 2011 popular uprising against tyranny, nepotism, and corruption. The tangle of competing motivations and aspirations that embroiled Cairo’s Tahrir Square and other flashpoints is difficult to sort out; but one thing is clear. Among those clamoring for change in 2011’s ill-fated Arab Spring were idealistic voices calling for true democracy, rule of law, respect for minorities, and secular government. Those who sought true democracy, freedom, and justice have been betrayed – by Egypt’s military, and by the rest of the world for acquiescing in the violent overthrow of a government which we may not have liked very much but which had in its favor the unique distinction (for Egypt) of having been freely elected. Sadly, too many in Egypt have been jubilant at the return of an autocrat. What a wasted opportunity for the Arab Spring to bear lasting fruit.
John Arkelian is an international affairs analyst, lawyer, and former diplomat.
Copyright © 2014 by John Arkelian.
Editor’s note: A tin-pot dictator (including those of the pharaonic variety) is an autocratic ruler who has little or no political legitimacy but abundant delusions of grandeur.