A coup has taken place in Egypt today, and please use this as an Open Thread to address any topics related to that. The Orange County angle of the story is this: Congressman Ed Royce has apparently declared a coup of his own and has taken over United States Foreign Policy. From CNN, which is updating the story today at a brisk pace:
[Updated at 4:42 p.m. ET, 10:42 p.m. in Egypt] The chairman of the U.S. House foreign affairs committee has weighed in:
“It is unfortunate that Morsy did not heed popular demands for early elections after a year of his incompetent leadership and attempting a power grab for the Muslim Brotherhood,” U.S. Rep. Ed Royce, R-California, said in an e-mailed statement. “Morsy was an obstacle to the constitutional democracy most Egyptians wanted.
“I am hopeful that his departure will reopen the path to a better future for Egypt, and I encourage the military and all political parties to cooperate in the peaceful establishment of democratic institutions and new elections that lead to an Egypt where minority rights are protected. But make no mistake about it, Egypt is in for very difficult days.”
OK, switch the party roles for a moment. Pretend that Condoleeza Rice is the current Republican Secretary of State. The Democratic Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee — let’s say that it’s Alan Lowenthal (who in real life is on the committee) suddenly emits trash talk regarding a military coup (or whatever the military claims it is instead) of a major, major U.S. ally. He tells the previous President to get stuffed, at a time when despite appearances it is not yet entirely clear how things are going to turn out, and says that that country “is in for very difficult days.” This comes at a time when the actual foreign policy establishment — the one in, you know, the Executive Branch — has cautiously avoided public comment. In fact, let’s imagine that Rice’s statement as of last night was a lot like Kerry’s last statement towards the Egyptian government: forceful exhortation but not threatening, let along celebratory.
What would Republicans say about Bizarro World’s Alan Lowenthal’s trenching on the foreign policy decisions of that world’s Condoleeze Rice? Because whatever it is, they should be saying it right now about Ed Royce. If he were a rank-and-file Congress member, that would be one thing — but he’s the leader of the relevant committee for one house of Congress. That’s why it’s on CNN — as he clearly hoped.
While few Americans celebrate Morsi’s policies, his view represents a large segment of the world — not only pro-Muslim but also pro-democracy and anti-coup — areas in which the U.S. has earned the world’s suspicion in the past. (Sorry if any readers don’t know that; you were supposed to learn it in high school.) Times like this call for finesse and diplomacy — so as to, among other things, not stoke the hatred of U.S. hypocrisy that helps to fuel terrorism.
Regardless of whether or not one agrees with Royce on the merits, the last thing that this country needs right now is a highly placed loose cannon. One wonders, though, if Royce has made the political calculation that, as a political bomb-thrower himself, terrorist attacks on U.S. interests are “good for business.” How else do you explained his leaping forward — at a time when doing so was unnecessary and unwise except perhaps as a personal political calculation — to jab his fingers into a fresh wound of another country that, justified or not, is sure to generate rage?
And, just before I post, here’s more from CNN:
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo has ordered the mandatory evacuation of all nonessential personnel, CNN’s Jill Dougherty reports, citing a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Hey, Darrell Issa! Do you suppose you could investigate whether Ed Royce comments, broadcast around the world before the U.S. embassy was even evacuated, might eventually get any Americans killed? Thanks!
And here’s what the people in charge had to say:
I wonder if he’s been asked about Royce’s independent foreign policy excursions.
*The issues in Egypt are hilarious. It’s the Tea Party against Planned Parenthood. How can anyone win in that deal?
What? Who in Egypt is the equivalent of “Planned Parenthood”? It’s more like Rick Santorum (except Muslim) vs. John McCain (except competent.)
Don’t try to figure it out, it will hurt your brain. That’s the Winships’ evil plan.
You can call it a coup if you want to, but it’s a “coup” support by a vast majority of Egyptians. The June 30 uprising may have been the largest protest in history, according to many reports.
Here’s what Egyptians in Anaheim did Wednesday: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=600015093363053&set=pb.267478113283421.-2207520000.1373067723.&type=3&theater
While this “coup” has set a dangerous precedent in the region, it has been support by millions, and it’s a rejection of a potential theocracy in Egypt.
“It is the quest for freedom and feeling that they have been betrayed and the resenting to replace a dictatorship of Mubarak by a theocracy dictatorship, where it will be the dictator is ruling but garbing himself in religion.”
– Dr. Maher Hathout, Muslim Public Affairs Council
supported*
I can easily believe that I’d be more attuned to the people who supported the coup than those who opposed it, although the former group especially is likely to be variegated (and include some people I don’t like at all.) What Royce gives short shrift to — actually, not even short shrift, but no shrift at all — is the cost of the sort of nyah nyah nyah “policy” he offered from his loose cannon.
Here’s one thing that seems totally absent from Royce’s — joke coming! — “analysis.” We as a nation want to encourage “fundamentalist Muslims” (I know that that term is disfavored, but I don’t have a better term for those like Morsi and Turkey’s Erdogan and others) to pursue the democratic process rather than the path of violence. (Right?)
Well, one thing that we’ve lost here is a huge chunk of that argument, because now those who prefer the path of violence can say “yeah, and look what happened to Morsi when he tried to use the so-called democratic process! We’re better off making them fear us!”
That’s one reason why Obama has — as one is supposed to do — steered along a diplomatic path here. On the one hand, he won’t call it a coup (although I can and do, because it is) because that obliges us to oppose it more forcefully than we’d prefer. On the other hand, he wants to be open to the military (which we’ve supported — even when we shouldn’t) and reform sectors. It’s a delicate high-wire act. And then here comes Ed Royce, jumping unexpectedly onto one end of the wire and bouncing up and down wildly.
The only thing that prevents it from being a disaster is that, in the “high wire” metaphor and otherwise, Royce is a lightweight.
Either way, Royce’s statement is irrelevant Egyptians on the ground. Except when each camp want to discredit the other. Pro Morsi crowd will use this to discredit the opposition, the anti-Morsi crowd used Obama’s position to discredit Morsi’s supporters. The term coup is not sitting well with the vast majority of Egyptians https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=185772808258278&set=a.185690911599801.1073741826.185673038268255&type=1&theater
Rashad, it’s time for you to write a Happy Arab post about these ongoing developments!
Rashad, I don’t think the people of Egypt care to live under any sort of dictatorship going forward.
I am glad of that.
They should write a constitution for the people of Egypt, one that strictly limits the powers of government.
Like a large part of the middle east they seemed to want a Islamic Theocracy a year ago. So they elected one. Remember the riots, the “Arab Spring”?
The Muslims were flexing their power and got the people to go along. So they took over.
A year after that the people decided they didn’t like that Islamic Theocracy so much. It’s their right! So they told their newly elected leader to get out.
Gee guys, figure out what you want!
Unfortunately this kind of regime change does not make for a stable country.
Here in the US if we elect someone we don’t like we have recourse in some cases (certainly not all).
We can recall them, if the voters are upset enough there are enough votes and the person is removed and another elected. If we don’t have the votes for an effective recall we have to wait for the next election.
That is stability. But our leaders often have checks and balances limiting their powers. Which is the difference between the type of advanced democracy we have in the US and what goes on in much of the world.
What just happened in Egypt is not what I call stability. I guess it works for them but I would encourage Egypt to pass some laws putting checks and balances on their leadership, so they don’t just have to have a riot and have the military come out shooting and restoring order. What if the citizens don’t like military rule? Do they riot again?
With checks and balances if you happen to elect a leader that sounded good but in action was not what the people wanted his powers would be more limited. In case you don’t have the votes to remove him he can’t just do whatever he wants.
But in the case of Shia, the pure Shiites aren’t too thrilled with the idea of a civil government anyway, they want the mullas to decide everything. So they don’t feel the need for elections.
The Sunnis however do feel a civil government is OK and that is the main difference between Shia and Sunni. The civil government.
Saddam Hussein was the leader of the civil government in Iraq. The Shia were trying to take over and still are there.
Will the people of Egypt adopt a constitution guaranteeing rights to the people and limiting the powers of government? I hope so.
There are enough people there who are educated and interested to riot twice, so they ought to get together and figure out how they want to live going forward.
Although these are not my own words but they are truly representative of the situation here
BRILLIANT
To my friends who live in the US ( whether pro or against Morsi) and who are condemning our so-called “non- democratic ” move.
Written by an Egyptian in Alexandria who explains the situation in the American way clearly and straight to the point….
“In a nutshell….
A lot of my dear American friends still ask me what on earth really happened in Egypt, for their benefit, and anyone else on earth genuinely trying to make heads or tails of us “crazy Egyptians” ; here’s exactly what happened in egypt over the past 12 months, but expressed in ‘American” terms…
There are no exaggerations or lies. All these events took place:
On June 30th 2012, democratically elected Barack Obama wins the election with 51.7%, takes the oath, and is sworn in as president of the United States.
First five months of his term go relatively smoothly, where he makes almost no decisions (except for some dubious presidential pardons to a dozen convicted terrorists, including some convicted for their part in the assassination of a former US President).
Suddenly, on November 21st 2012, president Obama issues a presidential decree giving himself sweeping powers, to the extent that his future decrees become un-contestable in any court, in effect his decisions henceforth are akin to the word of God.
His laws are a new Bible…
Nationwide protests erupt as a result of this decree and 1.5 million people organize a sit-in at the White House to peacefully request he rescind it.
Some of Obama’s democratic party supporters attack the peaceful sit-in outside the White House with guns & shoot 5 peaceful protesters dead.
A few weeks later president Obama dissolves the US Supreme Court and labels them all “traitors to America”.
One short week later, he fires the United States District Attorney and personally appoints a Democrat to replace him.
A month later he annuls the US Constitution and forms a ‘constitutional committee’ to draft a new constitution (committee includes no Republicans or Independents, no Moslems or Jews, and only a handful of women.. And is composed primarily of Democrats & religious preachers)
In a referendum not supervised by any judicial branch, this constitution narrowly wins, and President Obama ratifies it the very next morning (despite it having only gotten the approval of 18% of all Americans).
Within a month he invites top global terrorists, known jihadists and Al Qaeda members from all over the world, to a rally in Yankee stadium, where he cuts ties with and declares war on Canada.
Throughout this whole time, the US economy is sinking, the stock market collapsing, foreign investment has all but stopped, tourism has died, and electricity, fuel, and water shortages are a daily occurrence.
Unemployment has almost doubled, and the US$ dollar has lost 20% of its value globally.
Oh, and president Obama also outlines his new plans to lease the entire Silicon Valley area to China for 50 years (with full administrative control)…
Democratically elected president Barack Obama has done all the above in his FIRST YEAR IN OFFICE!!!
Ultimately, on June 30th, 2013…
110 million Americans take to the streets in 50 States peacefully and politely demanding -for 4 straight days- that democratically elected Obama leaves immediately, and that he does not continue his remaining 3 years….
That’s it in a nutshell
Who would you say had “legitimacy” in this case if it had been America?
“Democratically elected Barrack Obama”, or the 110 million Americans who fired him … ?”