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Egypt

In Egypt, the Real Regime Still Has to Fall

July 6, 2013 Jerome Roos, www.roarmag.org
As Mark LeVine just put it in a column for Al Jazeera, “the Egyptian military stands in the way of revolution, and the revolutionaries will again have to take it on directly.” None of this is to belittle the incredible achievements the revolutionaries have secured so far, and it is obvious that activists the world over will continue to follow and support the struggle of the Egyptian people with amazement and the utmost respect, as a shining example of fearlessness and perseverance that inspires us all. But it does mean that “free and fair” elections alone may not be enough to still the people’s immense hunger for bread, freedom and social justice. It may mean that the biggest stand-off is yet to come. And it certainly means that this revolution is far from over yet.

Egypt’s Unfinished Revolution Enters New Stage

July 5, 2013 Eugene Puryear, www.pslweb.org
The military has been very careful to present its maneuvers strictly as a response to the desires and aspirations of the Egyptian people. By meeting the demands of the Tamarod movement for the removal of Morsi, the military has for a time secured substantial support among revolutionary masses. The key question, however, is not representational. Whoever assumes the reins of power next will be expected to offer a way out of grinding poverty and unemployment, as well as measures dealing with other political grievances. If the demands of the movement cannot be met, the masses of people will once again be invited to take action. As developments unfold, it remains to be seen whether the military will succeed in using the demonstrations to reinstate a Mubarak regime without the person of Mubarak, or whether the protest movement will use the military intervention to remove Morsi as a stepping stone in advancing the revolution toward realizing the social justice and independence aims of the revolution. What is still lacking in Egypt is a coherent revolutionary voice. The Tamarod movement is made up of tens of thousands

24 Dead, Over 200 Injured in Clashes Between Egyptian Protesters

July 5, 2013 By, rt.com
Egypt's health ministry has said that 24 people were killed and over 200 injured in clashes between pro- and anti-Morsi protesters on Friday. The most violent are at the 6th October bridge near Tahrir, amid reports of gunfire and Molotov cocktails. The unrest has rocked some eight areas of Cairo, with Alexandria and approximately six other provinces as street battles have erupted between pro- and anti-Morsi supporters. Helicopters are flying overhead and ambulances are arriving on the scene according to RT's Paula Slier. The military are refraining from direct intervention according to witnesses on the scene. In addition to Friday's outbreak of violence in the capital, the Sidi Jaber district of Alexandria was badly hit, as pro-Morsi protesters lobbed stones and Molotov cocktails at police cars blocking the streets. A petrol bomb hit a car, leading several people to attempt to quell the flames with water from bottles.

The Dangers in the Military Takeover in Egypt

July 5, 2013 Phyllis Bennis, www.alternet.org ,
For those of us in the U.S., the most important point should be to stop greater U.S. intervention in Egypt. As it did in 2011, the Obama administration is vacillating on its Egypt position. As theWashington Post described it, "Just two weeks ago, the U.S. ambassador in Cairo said Washington supported the Muslim Brotherhood-led government and felt it would be unwise for Egyptians to think 'street action will produce better results than elections.'...After voicing support for Morsi, the Obama administration appeared to distance itself from him this week. Hours before Egypt's generals announced that they were appointing a temporary government to replace Mohamed Morsi, however, U.S. officials signaled that they understood and shared the concerns that sparked a rebellion against the Islamist leader."

Popular Resistance Newsletter – Organized Resistance Brings Sweeping Change, Lessons for US

July 4, 2013 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.popularresistance.org , , , , , ,
The big story of the week was Egypt. Protests organized by Tamarod (Rebel) that have been building for months, resulted in the biggest protest in Egypt’s history, four days of mass protest beginning on June 30 that ended the rule of President Mohamed Morsi. More than a week ago, Tamarod recommended that the head of the Egyptian Constitutional Court become the interim president and that is what the Egyptian military announced. The military made the announcement after lengthy meetings with religious groups, including minority religions; opposing political parties, including a Muslim party; and civil society including Tamarod.

Adly Mansour Sworn In As Egypt’s Interim President

July 4, 2013 Hamza Hendawi, www.ap.org
Mansour used his first remarks as interim leader to praise the massive street demonstrations that led to Morsi's ouster. He also hailed the youth behind the protests that began on June 30. "The most glorious thing about June 30 is that it brought together everyone without discrimination or division," he said. "I offer my greetings to the revolutionary people of Egypt...I look forward to parliamentary and presidential elections held with the genuine and authentic will of the people," Mansour said. "The youth had the initiative and the noblest thing about this glorious event is that it was an expression of the nation's conscience and an embodiment of its hopes and ambitions. It was never a movement seeking to realize special demands or personal interests." The revolution, he said, must continue, so "we stop producing tyrants."

Arab Studies Institute: Down with Military Rule…Again?

July 4, 2013 Hesham Sallam, www.jadaliyya.com ,
The military, however, has quickly come to the realization that the protesters are imposing new realities on the ground. Those realities threaten the future of the current political order and, by implication, the privileges the military was able to secure under Muslim Brotherhood rule. The Muslim Brotherhood regime, however favorable to the military, has become prone to uncertainties that the officers are reluctant to accept. It is unsurprising, therefore, that the army is opportunistically sending signals of support to the protesters in order to ensure that its special status is not compromised in a post-Morsi Egypt. The army’s abandonment of its pact with the Brotherhood is a testament to the power that decentralized revolutionary popular mobilization has accumulated over the past year. A new consciousness is sweeping Egyptian society. It is true military leaders are attempting to preserve their role as the Egyptian state’s guardian. However, these attempts are in large part the product of the overwhelming will and defiance of the millions of Egyptians who have had enough of the current regime.

Note from Cairo: Down with Morsi! Down with Military Rule!

July 4, 2013 Katrina Yeaw, www.notesfromthemiddleeast.blogspot.com ,
. . . there were some relatively positive developments given the circumstances. The program that al-Sisi announced is largely the same one proposed by the Tamarod (Rebellion) Campaign before June 31. This include calling for early elections and the appointment of Adel Mansour, the head of the Constitutional Court, as the head of the transitional government. Therefore, the interim government will at least in theory be a civilian rather than a military government. The problem is that in the past the military has used the civilian government as a cover for their own rule. After the revolution in 2011, Dr. Essam Sharaf, then prime minister of the transitional government, turned out to be a mere puppet of the SCAF. I do not envy Adel Mansour his new position...My thoughts on the whole situation are: Down with Morsi! Down with Military Rule!

Egyptian Revolution Phase II, Morsi Out, Transition Government In

July 3, 2013 Kevin Zeese, www.PopularResistance.org
It was an amazing few days in Egypt. The largest protests in the nation's history have resulted in the removal of President Mohamed Morsi from power, the appointment of Judge Adly Mansour as the temporary president and move to new elections and a new constitution. Judge Mansour will be sworn in on Thursday. People are confused as to whether this is a military coup or whether the military served as a facilitator of the protesters in the streets. Some see this as the US silently working behind the scenes with the military to remove the Muslim Brotherhood. Others see this as a second phase of the January 2011 revolution that was interrupted by co-option and manipulation. Time will clarify what has happened today. Below are some highlights of the days events from various sources.

Morsi Refuses to Step Down, Offers Consensus Government

July 3, 2013 Staff, www.rt.com
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has offered a consensus government as a way out of the country's crisis, but offered no new compromises. The leader has refused to step down, and instructed the military not to "take sides." The proposed coalition government would include a Prime Minister elected by political powers, according to a presidential statement. The statement added that "the scenario that some parties are trying to impose is rejected by the people." The military ultimatum given to President Mohamed Morsi has come and gone, as hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets. Morsi previously rejected the deadline, which gave him 48 hours to meet the demands of the people before facing army intervention. According to some reports, Morsi has until 5pm local time to either form a coalition government or face the prospect of a coup.

Open Letter From Egyptian Revolutionaires

July 3, 2013 Comrades from Cairo, www.roarmag. , , ,
We draw hope and inspiration from recent uprisings especially across Turkey and Brazil. Each is born out of different political and economic realities, but we have all been ruled by tight circles whose desire for more has perpetuated a lack of vision of any good for people. We are inspired by the horizontal organization of the Free Fare Movement founded in Bahía, Brazil in 2003 and the public assemblies spreading throughout Turkey. None of us are fighting in isolation. We face common enemies from Bahrain, Brazil and Bosnia, Chile, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Kurdistan, Tunisia, Sudan, the Western Sahara and Egypt. And the list goes on.

Egypt’s Revolution: Between the Streets and the Army

July 3, 2013 Jerome Roos, www.roarmag.org
Ultimately, this crisis cannot be successfully resolved until the authoritarian neoliberal state that was built up by Mubarak in collaboration with global capital, the IMF and successive US governments, is fully dismantled. However complex and fraught with obstacles this process may be, the engine behind the revolution is now unmistakable: without the power of the streets, Egypt would continue to be ruled by authoritarian madmen, whether their names are Mubarak, Morsi or the Military. If the state and the elites who control it are forced to move, they do so not out of voluntary will but because yet another grassroots rebellion forces them to. What Egypt now needs is not the fall of another president or regime — but the fall of the system as such. Only the fearless and continued struggle of the streets can bring this revolution to a successful conclusion.

Conflict Escalates in Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood Called to Streets

July 1, 2013 Nancy A. Youssef and Amina Ismail, www.mcclatchydc.com
The Muslim Brotherhood early Tuesday called on its supporters to take to the streets to protect the “legitimacy” of President Mohammed Morsi after a second day of massive protests demanded the resignation of the country’s first democratically elected president. Within minutes of the Brotherhood issuing its summons, pro- and anti-Morsi demonstrators reportedly clashed in Mahala in the Nile Delta, and pro-Morsi crowds were reported assembling in Giza, an impoverished Cairo district, to march on anti-Morsi crowds in Tahrir Square, a 10-minute walk away. Pro-Morsi crowds also headed for the presidential palace, where tens of thousands of anti-Morsi demonstrators have held sway for two days.

The Grassroots Group Behind the Egyptian Rebellion

July 1, 2013 ByStaff, www.bbc.co.uk
Tamarod is a new grassroots protest movement in Egypt that has been behind the recent nationwide protests against President Mohammed Morsi, a year after he took office. The group, whose name means "rebel" in Arabic, claims it has collected more than 22 million signatures for a petition demanding Mr Morsi step down and allow fresh presidential elections to be held. Tamarod was founded in late April by members of the Egyptian Movement for Change - better known by its slogan Kefaya (Enough) - which pushed for political reform in Egypt under former president Hosni Mubarak in 2004 and 2005. Although Kefaya joined in the mass protests that forced him to resign in 2011, it did not play a prominent role.

Egypt: Military Will Intervene if Protesters Demands Not Met

July 1, 2013 Hamza Hendawi and Sarah El Deeb, www.ap.org
Egypt's powerful military warned on Monday it will intervene if the Islamist president doesn't "meet the people's demands," giving him and his opponents two days to reach an agreement in what it called a last chance. Hundreds of thousands of protesters massed for a second day calling on Mohammed Morsi to step down.Military helicopters, some dangling Egyptian flags, swooped over Cairo's Tahrir Square where many broke into cheers with the army's announcement, read on state television. The statement seemed to fuel the flow of crowds into city squares around the country where protesters chanted and sang.
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