At this moment, the Egyptian military, under the direction of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and with the support of anti-Morsi protestors, is removing the current Egyptian president from power. Over the coming days, many will debate the moves of the military, the effectiveness of the Morsi administration, and the realistic expectations of liberal protestors. What is essential at this moment, however, is to recognize how serious the emerging problem is for Egyptian citizens. A democratically elected President is in the process of being removed from power by his country’s military.
The removal of President Morsi is supported by millions of Egyptians who oppose the policies of the Muslim Brotherhood, are fed up with the current regime’s inability to fix Egypt’s myriad of problems, or are fearful of what the religiously-guided Muslim Brotherhood will do to the country’s nascent democratic institutions. The opposition to President Morsi has completely legitimate complaints about his administration, but there is a fear that the actions taking place today will only serve to undercut democracy and increase social tension in Egypt.
First, it is the military that once again chose to step in to solve a dispute within Egyptian society. Not only is this pattern dangerous for democracy, but it undercuts the very notion that civilian leaders have any real power in Egypt. Second, pro-Morsi supporters will not forget or forgive today’s actions. The Muslim Brotherhood and other religiously-motivated groups remain powerful factions in Egyptian society. It is entirely possible that removing Morsi from power will completely sour his constituency on the benefits of democracy and motivate them towards more radical political methodologies. Finally, the opposition to Morsi who have seized control of Cairo’s streets in an effort to show their displeasure with the current government are not an organized force in a political sense. If President Morsi is removed, then can this hodgepodge of forces making up the opposition put democracy on a firm footing?
In short, Egypt has a serious problem between democratic procedure and populist sentiment.
Please note that the views expressed in this piece do not represent the official policy or position of the National Defense University, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
The Strategist 