MILITARY INTERVENTION IN EGYPT

Military Intervention in Egypt

Military Intervention In Egypt

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to expand the boundaries of our knowledge by exploring some relevant and factual information relating to the analysis of Military Intervention in Egypt. Egyptians waited a long time for democracy. Never in its long history did Egypt have competitive elections prior to June 2012, when Mohammed Morsi was elected as president. It is dismaying that Egypt's experiment with democracy has ended so abruptly. To be sure, many Egyptians were outraged by Morsi's authoritarian style and contempt for state institutions, particularly the judiciary. Under his brief tenure, the economy tanked, foreign reserves dwindled, unemployment soared, sectarian tensions intensified, and women's groups and minorities were marginalized. This led millions of people to take to the streets demanding the president's resignation and political reforms, including new elections (Kienle, 2012, pp. 34-78). But did this justify military intervention and the ousting of a freely elected president? The answer is no.

President Obama has refrained from using the word "coup" in referring to the events in Egypt. Acknowledging the coup may risk Egypt losing the more than $1.5 billion it receives annually from the United States. But others were not so hesitant: The African Union has just suspended Egypt's membership over Morsi's ouster. The United Nations and European Union expressed grave concern over the army takeover. Egypt today faces a fateful moment. Scenes on the streets of Cairo are eerily reminiscent of the repressive Mubarak era, such as police and army troops firing on unarmed demonstrators. History is repeating itself, and violence will inevitably lead to more violence. It is a vicious cycle. As confrontation continues during the coming weeks and months, the euphoria of Morsi's opponents, and there are many of them, will be replaced by a new, sadder sense of realism. The overthrow of the Morsi government will produce a period of chaos and instability and create bitterness and resentment among a large segment of the population (Yohannes, 2001, 234-367).

Discussion

Military Intervention in Egypt

On February 11, 2011, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak fled his country, thereby stepping down from office. The departure came amid a pro-democracy movement fuelled by massive demonstrations that had effectively shut down most of Egypt. Mubarak had ruled the country for more than 30 years, enjoying strong support from the United States for most of that time, even though his regime had accorded Egyptians few basic freedoms (Witty, 2011, 34-78).

Several weeks earlier, a similar revolution in Tunisia had unseated dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. The Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings prompted a swelling of pro-democracy demonstrations challenging authoritarian regimes throughout North Africa and the Middle East in a phenomenon that became known as the Arab Spring. Though the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions were relatively peaceful, other uprisings turned violent. Governments in Bahrain and Iran used force against protesters, and rebellions in Libya and Syria turned into full-scale civil wars. The pro-democracy movements put the United States in a precarious position: As one of the world's most enduring democracies, ...