Saudis to Muslim Brotherhood: Drop Dead
“The uneasy modus vivendi between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military most likely will fail, and probably sooner than later,” I argued this July 9, and the aftermath of the terrorist execution of sixteen Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai peninsula supports this conclusion. The funeral service for the dead soldiers erupted in rage against the Brotherhood, Al Ahram reports today from Cairo:
In a tense scene, hundreds of Egyptians gathered at Al-Rashdan Mosque in Cairo’s Nasr City district around midday on Tuesday to attend the funeral service held for the 16 Egyptian guards killed at the Egypt-Gaza border on Sunday. Security forces were heavily deployed around the mosque, and several of the surrounding streets were blocked off.
Getting close to the mosque, Ahram Online found families of the killed soldiers, as well as some public figures, mourners and many angry protesters. The group was split between those who had made it inside the mosque to pray for the killed soldiers and the rest who waited outside in anger, chanting almost without pause, and at times fighting with each other.
Protesters mainly chanted against President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, describing them as “betrayers of the country” and claiming that the Brotherhood collaborated with Hamas, which they accuse of involvement in the killing of Egyptian soldiers. “Down with the rule of the Supreme Guide of the Brotherhood” and “The Brotherhood are agents and betrayers” were among the slogans that were chanted. The infuriated protesters also kicked out any citizen whom they suspected to be a member of the Islamist group. Most bearded men were labelled as members of the Brotherhood and were forced to leave.
Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood president of Egypt, didn’t show up. His prime minister did and was savaged by protesters: “Inside the mosque the atmosphere was also electric. Hisham Qandil, Morsi’s newly-appointed prime minister, was present at the prayers and was physically assaulted by protesters. Several protesters threw their shoes at Qandil when he was inside the mosque.”
Crucial to understanding Egypt’s internal wrangling between the Brotherhood-dominated elected government and the military in the wings is the harsh reality of Egypt’s economy: the country is nearly dead broke, and close to the point where it no longer can finance its $36 billion annual trade deficit. Egypt imports half its food, and is the world’s largest wheat importer. Wheat and other food prices went through the roof due to the American drought and poor harvests elsewhere. Egypt is almost out of money. It also has trouble financing its enormous internal budget deficit (around 12% of GDP). The most likely outcome will be a substantial currency devaluation before the end of the year, with a sharp rise in food and energy prices, all of it laid at the door of the Muslim Brotherhood. The military will consolidate its grip over Egyptian politics in one fashion or another. As I wrote in the cited July 9 post: “The economic context is necessary to make sense of Egypt’s politics: it points to an important conclusion, that no path exists to stable rule by the Muslim Brotherhood.”
“Egypt imports half its food, and is the world’s largest wheat importer.”
To think that back in Roman days Egypt was the granary of the Mediterranean world. I do not know enough about Egypt to know when it became a large importer of wheat. Is it Malthus in action or gov’t policy?
Government policy (keep the peasants poor, ignorant) and Malthus (population doubled in just 20-25 years). Fertility is, anyway, falling. The Egyptians can not afford family creation as homes cost too much, cohabitation is impossible under Islamic Laws, marriage is postponed to the 30s.
In effect, they are squandering any capital (human or resources) they have.
Consequently, their income is lowering (per capita and gross).
The destabilization is inevitable.
The Saudis could use a few billions to stabilize Egypt, for a while. But they can not stabilize it without destabilizing themselves.
Aswan dam. It did help with flood control but it also stopped the yearly inundation of the fields that deposited the nutritious silt/topsoil. Egypt never needed artificial fertilizer. It does now. Also, that yearly inundation rid the soil of salts. Now salty soil is
Pamela is right.
Actually, the Aswan dam, besides enabling flood control, also avoids the severity of drought years. Both of these are important. But it would seem that it has also obviated the use of irrigation basins.
I recommend to your attention ‘Egyptian Irrigation’ by Sir William Willcocks and J I Craig, 3rd Edition, 1913. Sir Willcocks was responsible for the reformation and modernization of the Egyptian irrigation system in the late 19th/early 20th centuries which led to more land usage, more agricultural products and more exports. As a result, Egypt went from bankruptcy to wealth.
Chapters 4 and 5 of the two volume book (available for free on the web) dealing with Basin Irrigation are noteworthy. Basin irrigation was the method by which, when the Nile was in flood, water was diverted to enclosed basins on the side of the river, to be kept there until the flood started to subside, at which time the basin waters were released in a scheduled manner. On the one hand, this was important in controlling the height of the flood down river; but more importantly, it caused the irrigation of vast areas that the river flood would never have reached. This water was important, not only for watering dry land, but also for leaving behind its sediment which fertilized the ground. As Pamela points out, it also prevented the salinization of the land.
One of the points made in the introduction is that “. . . in 1883 and 1884, when Sir Colin Scott-Moncrieff was organizing the Irrigation Department . . . the Western practice of repairing existing works was one of the first novelties introduced to take the place of the Eastern practice of letting works, once constructed, take care of themselves.”
One wonders whether Egypt hadn’t thought that the Aswan Dam, once constructed, would take care of Egypt’s water problems all by itself. Perhaps it is time to marry the ancient method of basin irrigation with the modern method of a supersize dam.
P.S. Mr Goldman: You provide graphs with good info. However, your graphs are never properly labeled, so I personally have no way of determining what that info is. Please label both axes of your graphs in the future.
It is true that Egypt’s population is large. But in ancient times, Egypt not only fed itself, but it was the bread basket of the eastern Mediterranean.
So the solution is to build an operable gate on Aswan Dam to allow for flooding the Nile Delta every once in a while.
It would also clear out all the silt building up behind the dam which would one day turn it into a meadow with a stream!
found it! Thank you
We both post on PJM under the same name (obviously PJM does not have a username screen). Take it as a compliment that I don’t mind being mistaken for you (I hope the sentiment is returned – if you have ever read any of my posts. If you feel differently, we can always draw lots and become Miriam and Miriam123 or some such). Regards – Miriam
Miriam: I do remember catching one of your posts – but I am not very good at keeping the various commenters straight. But to keep us distinct, I will sign in as Miriam K from now on.
Boomer8: It would require more than a gate on the Aswan Dam. It requires the re-establishment of the basins as well as the canals leading to and from the basins and gates for those canals. Further, it requires gates on the Delta tributaries of the Nile to control the flow there as well. And all of this requires maintenance – yearly monitoring and repair.
While I was reading sections of the Willcocks and Craig book, I started to wonder whether we couldn’t learn something from the ancient Egyptian basin irrigation system and apply it to the Mississippi. It seems all we do is build levees – which are effectively only walls to enclose the river. I don’t remember ever hearing anything about catchment basins.
That’s generous of you, Miriam, thanks. Like I mentioned, it would be good for PJM to have a username screen for duplicates. In any case, please take the compliment that being mistaken for you was no problem. All the best.
Egypt imports half its food…
This reality is a harsh commentary on the efficacy of Islam as a world belief system. They’re dependent on Infidels for putting half of their food on the table. Worse, without agricultural technology imported from Infidels, the figure would be more like 75%. Worse yet, without Infidel tourist money spent to see the grandeur of pre-Islamic history, there, the figure would boost up to, what, at least 80%?
Then, worst of all, without free money gifts from Infidel nations, there would be only a daily bowl of gruel for each Egyptian.
Maybe they should ask the Jews to help them master drip irrigation, a great technology, again, invented by Infidels.
But hey, at least your Egyptian Moslem ain’t totally dependent on Infidel kindness, as are the Palestinians (who seem to be fattening up on that diet).
PJM readers (mostly) know the score. However, much of the west is clueless.
Therefore, starting a blog was not an option. It was a western imperative.
Read ‘Shoring Up A Decade of My Research… Regarding The Muslim Mafia…’, it can be found at – http://www.adinakutnicki.com .
Scrolling down my ‘Home’ tab are commentaries related to the symbiosis between Barack Hussein Obama & The Brotherhood.
Ignoring this dynamic – as business as usual – will lead to catastrophe.
Also, read ‘Barack Hussein Obama Set To (Formally) Embrace Egypt’s (Brotherhood) President Morsi…How Did This Happen?’ – http://www.adinakutnicki.com.
Call it like it is. A(lucky) win to Obama and his hands off policy. Russians, Muslims, Chinese… they are all going to come around to being Jersey Shore cultures. I would prefer Islam, just saying.
Sorry, that “win” is much too frivolous. Temporary vindication that people will sort out oppressors without any help from uSA.
Surely the Islamist majority will tear down the infidel pyramids and other ancient sites. Then all hope will be lost for Egyptian tourist money. It was the main thing keeping them afloat. They can become a purely agrarian society to try to feed their people.
The Islamists could instead hold the pyramids and other pre-Islamic wonders hostage to western aid: Pay up or they die. Ultimately the western “powers” would intervene militarily to preserve the ancient heritage but not to save Egyptian Copts, descendants of the original inhabitants.
Actually, I know an Israeli drip irrigation specialist who was helping teach it in Egypt, to very grateful farmers. When the so-called revo came, they warned him that it would be better not to come, as the Islo’s would probably string him up. When I asked him about his feelings about being kept out, he just shrugged his shoulders.
One can only hope that Iran is too financially strapped (and preoccupied with the deteriorating situation in Syria) to help the Muslim Brothers out of this mess. Perhaps this is a big blessing of President Obama’s sanctions policy on Iran. An alliance of the Mullah’s and the MB in Egypt is a natural fit from one perspective, but the Iranian support for the butcher Assad does little to warm the MB to Iran.
Perhaps Mr. Goldman could comment on the financial position of Iran at this moment. Does Iran currently have the financial resources to help the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt? Is this a viable strategy for Iran to pursue their aims vis-a-vis Saudi Arabia? Thank you.
Iran is struggling — there is now way Iran could come up with the $20 to $30 billion Egypt needs per year. The trade deficit is $36 billion and the surplus on services (tourism, workers’ remittances) is probably around $10 billion. The financing requirement is gigantic, and the only entity that could help would be the Saudis.
Thank you, sir. Then by all means we should hope the Iranians try to help fill ‘the black hole of Cairo’!
This report is interesting:
http://www.ensec.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=372:tightening-oil-sanctions-on-iran&catid=128:issue-content&Itemid=402
My take is that the sanctions on Iran are not being nearly as effective as claimed by the Obama administration.
According to a recent report, India, China, South Korea and Japan take roughly half of Iran’s oil exports. And South Korea, after a few months of cutbacks, is *increasing* its purchases of Iranian oil. And NATO ally Turkey, headed by Obama’s friend Erdogan, has reportedly procured Iranian oil using 60 tons of GOLD, thus bypassing the banks. That’s roughly $3 Billion worth. Sanctions? What sanctions!
While most knowledgeable observers believe that sanctions are hurting the Iranian economy, sanctions have not prevented Iran from accelerating its nuclear program. For example, the IAEA reports that the Iranian rate of production of enriched Uranium has increased over the past several years (http://isis-online.org/uploads/isis-reports/documents/ISIS_Analysis_IAEA_Report_25May2012.pdf).
Patrick Clawson and Mehdi Khalaji, respected Iran analyst analysts, believe that the Iranian government does not see itself in economic jeopardy over the near term: “… higher oil prices have flooded Iran with money. Even with their recent retreat, today’s prices are “only” four times where they were in 2002. In August 2011, prior to the latest sanctions escalation, the International Monetary Fund predicted that Iran’s 2012-2013 oil export revenue would be $104 billion, or four-and-a-half times the 2002-2003 receipts of $23 billion. Even if export volumes were cut in half and Iran received only $50 per barrel, its inflation-adjusted earnings would still be higher than they were a decade ago. Tehran also has substantial financial reserves; even if 70 percent of these funds are unavailable, as some suggest, Iran could still draw from more than $30 billion in foreign exchange reserves. Iranian hardliners do not regard the country’s economic situation as a top priority. That said, Iran has had higher annual growth since 2007 than the United States and Europe, feeding the regime’s perception that its economy is doing better than the West’s.
Iranian leaders took satisfaction in removing government subsidies on various items at a time when their oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council neighbors were making massive welfare expenditures designed to forestall unrest. And although inflation obviously rose in the aftermath of quadrupled energy prices, they believe that the impact on families has been offset by the regime’s increased monthly cash payouts. In short, Iranian leaders see their economic situation as quite good, especially compared to the crisistorn West” (http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/iran-confident-as-sanctions-tighten).
Of course none of this means Iran can necessarily shoulder the burden of supporting Egypt, just that the effect of sanctions on matters which Iran prioritizes should not be overestimated.
Mr. Goldman…
I rather suspect all prior tourism norms have been made history by this unrest.
Spain and Greece are being repriced — the hard way — making any trip to Giza problematic.
The best near term shot for the MB is to absorb Libya.
Longer term, fracking has done OPEC in.
Poland may end up being the big victor in the fracking game — as Paris and Berlin toss in their cards.
You are right on re natural gas. It will dominate as the worlds new energy source. It is just about everywhere. Greenies will slow it’s growth in some areas like France, New York, and Vermont. Russia and the Middle East will suffer from the competition. China will benefit eventually as they have more than we do. Japan has to buy it, for now. India probably has it, but is inept at developing it.
Here are over 500 recent links for you: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NbaKYme3bqOw0b6KMxXSjOLHLNeflalPy9gIAiTYFMQ/edit
Just wait for the oil shale revolution. If technology now being tested proves out, the US, China and Israel will change the game. (Yes, Israel. Substantial deposits, almost all within the Green Line, have been discovered. Deposits in the US and China are even bigger.)
“Longer term, fracking has done OPEC in.”
Which makes me wonder where Greenpeace et al are getting their money.
“The only friend the Muslim Brotherhood has left is the Obama administration, which cannot–in an election year–give the Morsi government what it needs the most–enough money to get through the next few months.”
Demographics disagrees. Most Democrats are now fused with the party for good, the welfare dependent classes. They do not care about his foreign policy whatsoever. The anti-war protests of 2004 were the last serious leftist statement for peace, and they were ultimately irrelevant.
Romney’s nomination win shows that the neocons still run the Republican party, and they can’t be counted on for sane diplomacy. It has always been a rotten ideology. The mess will only end when America badly loses another pointless foreign war.
Egypt will get its oats and its bubble will get even uglier before it explodes. The war industry will rejoice. Obama throws the pitch, Romney tries to swing, and America is the catcher. We know how it ends.
This is why I would like West as SecDef – Diana West, but Allen West would be OK. And Newt Gingrich as SecState. I know, stop dreaming.
The question I have is did the military set up the Muslim Brotherhood to fail?
Since the revolution the buildup of jihadi forces in the Sinai has been obvious. Israel has responded with improved defensive measures and that paid off in this case. This is not the first attack on egyptian forces and infrastructure. It looks like the army was standing down.
Israel has been busy setting up new defenses. Certainly the Egyptians noticed that. So now the people find out that they need the military and Gaza is not a friendly neighbor waiting to be set free. Well good morning Cairo.
In my opinion the MB and army are maneuvering to set each other up for failure. The army is certainly the greatest block to the MB and the MB the only force in Egypt organized enough to threaten the army. They are jockeying for position while trying to make it seem as if they are not. The MB’s impatience may be their undoing, especially in regard to Israel, may be their undoing. One of the few areas of tourism relatively unaffected was the Sinai. That is where some high ups in the army derives income from. Recent kidnappings and now armed attacks, even if they are at some distance from the sea resorts, will look much the same to a European tourist.
Only Mr.Goldman notes that the MB is a lenninist style organization, organized in cells, disciplined, and dedicated to the overthrow of the old order and in favor of permanent revolution. The clueless idiots at our State Dept. believe it to be a political party. But taking that to it’s logical conclusion, the MB will not care if the economy collapses, they will not give up power no matter what happens. The end result of economic collapse, followed by an army “rescue” with Saudi money, will be civil war., not the MB fading away.
Given the nature of the MB and the fact they do not control the army, I have long expected incidents on the border. The MB doesn’t want the treaty to stand as is, and the only way they can change things is to try and lure Israel into attacks against Egypt that will sting national pride and make the army look weak.
The problem is that many in Egypt are not MB or Islamist and have expected the same thing and it has backfired. People are openly calling for the identities of these attackers, sensing some relationship with the MB.
Even if the MB controlled the army, and given the nature of the treaty, the only way the MB can tear away the treaty is to provoke Israel into a series of border incidents that would in a sense serve the same purpose as the rocket attacks that led to the Israeli invasion of Gaza.
The bottom line is that the MB are madmen and they are determined to provoke Israel in such a way as to make Israel look like the culprit. The MB has Israel on the brain and rate Israel on the same level as national issues such as the economy. The truth is that there are probably as many people in Egypt who mistrust the MB as they do the army. Egyptians are not Jeffersonians; they want stability and jobs, period. The MB is playing a dangerous game.
This whole mess is a creation of the islamic world view. We can throw money at the problem but it will never improve this side of eternity. The only two kinds of islamic states are those in revolution and those who are headed for revolution.
The Society of Muslim Brothers was founded in 1928 in Egypt by 7 workers of the Suez Canal company. The group evolved into the MB and provided muscle for Egyptian government by attacking communist / socialist groups, including assasination of Egypts leaders from left the next several decades. MB supported Hitler and Nazi’s during WW2 and fell out of favor with US agencies as result, though MB leaders have met with US presidents including Dwight Eisenhower.
The Saudi Royal family funded MB through all this including branch we now call Hamas, and continue to fund their activities. All it takes is a few keystrokes to fund MB for another few months, or years, or decades.
Islam is no longer strictly a religion but becoming a political Ideology providing framework for culture and daily life. Extreme Islamic beliefs, such as those taught by Wahhabi Schools and practiced by Hamas and MB are funded by Saudi Arabia.
The USA provides Saudi’s with all the wealth and military protection required to achieve their goal of global Islamic domination.
Lucky for the world other nations are not as blind as USA.
Thanks for your informative comment! I am working to promote natural gas use, especially in vehicles,and lessen our financing of the Middle East while trying to save our economy.
Islam is no longer strictly a religion but becoming a political Ideology…
No longer? It has always been a political ideology. Indeed, what little religion content it has was ripped of from the Jews and Christians.
If you read the Holy Ko-Ran, the hadiths and the sacralized histories (by devout Moslems al-Tabari and Ishaq) it’s a plain fact that from its inception has comprises government and military in addition to religion. In its most glorious form, from Banu Qurayza to the Moghul to 9/11, the three come together to explosively carry out the “religion’s” overriding purpose of world takeover.
I know of no period of Islam when it did not propose to comprise government in the form of Sharia and military in the form of Jihad. This is explicitly stated in Islam’s scriptures and implicitly in the ultimate goal held by every good good Moslem, stretching all the way back to Yathrib (now Medina).
All this is acknowledged fact, by Moslems themselves. But you are right that Infidels have always refused to acknowledge the governmental and military parts.
Islam from its inception has never been purely a religion. It formed as an ad hoc political/religious entity in the midst of conquest. That’s why so much of the Koran deals with essentially managing conquered populations of Christians and Jews. Islam had armies and therefore institutions behind it from the start of their conquests. Alexandria fell in 641. That’s early.
It is Christianity that was purely a religion for the first 3 centuries of its existence. It didn’t have squat behind it.
And Hamas is a wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. Neither are Wahabi and are frequently in opposition to Salafis, who are Wahabis in Egypt.
“MB supported Hitler and Nazi’s during WW2 and fell out of favor with US agencies as result….”
Not true. After WW2, the CIA tried to run many in the MB as agents. Of course, these agents turned into double agents and, in any event, were always working for themselves.
Petraeus Watch by Diana West
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David Petreaus and Israel by Caroline Glick
“The only friend the Muslim Brotherhood has left is the Obama administration.”
Well, and John McCain … … and Marco Rubio. The way they attack Michele Bachmann – very good friends.
” the harsh reality of Egypt’s economy: the country is nearly dead broke, and close to the point where it no longer can finance its $36 billion annual trade deficit.”
Won’t likely be a problem. Some country run by idiots, like this one, will bail them out. The kids and grandkid’s credit cards are already maxed out so it will just be put on the great grandkid’s credit cards. They may not have to pay though as by then shariah may have been implemented in the U.S., at the rate we are helping Islam anyway.
What grad-grandchildren credit card?
This generation have already eaten their grandchildren. There will not be grand-grandchildren to stick with a bill.
The western economy will go to hell in a basket in the next few years. Before 2020, the paper US$ will be no more the global reserve currency.
Gold and silver and maybe bitcoins will be back, no credit card, not checks.
You can keep your paper money (the same is true for the Euro and the Yen and all other fiat currencies) w are interested only in real asset and not “government promises and goodwill”.
This is just another example of Muslims doing what they do best – fighting one another. Make no mistake, it’s only a matter of time before either Iran or the MB goes after Saudi Arabia. When that happens uncle sucker will surely ride to the rescue of the Saudi’s, and there goes another generation of American troops down the sinkhole.
Iran has enough resources to fund the MB, if not enough to fund Egypt as a whole. Then the MB can continue to advertise itself as the Islamic party of righteousness, opposing an obviously unjust military establishment. As Egypt fails economically, then can go into the streets and provoke the military. The goal would be to start a civil war in which they would be cast as the “rebels” and the Egyptian military would be “the corrupt old regime”. It would be like Syria at present, but magnified enormously. As a result of a civil war the present shape of Egyptian society would be totally transformed. The old outlines of the state, laid out by Nassar after the last major Egyptian revolution would be swept away.
The Saudi solution is to fund the more radical Salafists who will challenge the MB’s claims to be the Islamic party of righteousness as well as exposing any ties to non-Sunni or internal terrorist groups. They will also help the military on a case by case basis so it doesn’t collapse with the economy.
But get ready for the conflicts between the MB and the military to heat up and head to a Syria-like confrontation.
Unless there’s a reason not to do so, please extend a chart’s y-axis to zero. Thanks.
Who was it said that these Muslim countries need to look at what Israel has done with their economy? These countries fail due to ignorance, violence of a failed ideology, and their ever-ongoing hatred of the West. Too bad. If they aren’t killing someone they must feel like failures. Meanwhile they will starve.
The only friend the Muslim Brotherhood has left is the Obama administration
And how pathetic and embarrassing is that for the USA?
Morsi/Mursi (I never knew how to spell Q-Daffy, either)is reportedly coming over here for grandiose White House reception in Sept. or Oct.
Sham deceit shame.
How pathetic and embarrassing was it that we elected O, an obvious fraud, to the world’s top job in the first place? Then again, democracies tend to get what they deserve.
Why isn’t this good news? The Islamist/Sociolist/Corrupt MB are taken to task by the Egyptian people the second they are seen as being to close to the radical Islamists.
This is exactly what democracy looks like! Maybe the Bush Neocons were right after all. Brown people in general and Arabs/Muslims in particular really can handle democracy. Who knew? Bush/Cheney/Rusmefeld/Rice knew.
There has been a massive power failure in Cairo.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/india-egypt-massive-power-cut-hit-large-parts-cairo-article-1.1132548
‘excessive consumption’ is being blamed by the gov’t. Morsi’s gov’t is being blamed by the people.
I think it’s all a bit convenient.
Hello Miriam. It’s always a pleasure to encounter someone whose eyes don’t glaze over when agiculture comes up!
Pamela.
This is my third try at getting a reply to you. I guess the screener doesn’t want me to talk about what I do.
Here are some other articles/books I came across that I think you might appreciate:
- Nile Flood of 1892. Egypt. by W E Garstin, Under Secretary of State in Public Works;
- The Low Nile of 1899 in Relation to the Cotton Crop of 1900 by S Williamson Wallace;
- Nile Floods and the Irrigation System in 15th Century Egypt by Stuart J Borsch.
Happy reading, Miriam
They happen on a fairly regular basis. Lasting anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. Every couple of weeks maybe, maybe less than that.
A Prediction: Within a short time The Generals will become p####d off by the erosion of the value of their assets. At that point they will stage a coup so severe and punishing that the MB will long for the days of Mubarak.
If Obama, somehow, fools enough people to re-elect him, then you can bet he will do everything he can to support the Brotherhood. He is bent on destroying the U.S. any way he can and with 4 more years he will do lots of damage.
How anyone can support this fraud is amazing. He has told us nothing honest about his background. He keeps everything secret and presents birth certificates that are complete bogus.
God help us if he is re-elected.
WHY IS EGYPT SUCH A FAILURE?
During the ‘revolution’ in Tahrir Square in which Mubarak was overthrown, the MSM TV stations kept saying that the reason Egyptians make so little money is that Egypt has no natural resources. However, as noted above, it has the Aswan Dam. It has the Suez Canal, which should be a money maker. It has antiquities which (should) bring in tourism. It has great weather and great beaches which should also bring in tourists. It also has the best cotton in the world: Egyptian cotton which, I was told many years ago, even the Israelis can’t grow. And it has strategic importance which means the US has been throwing money at its military. So what’s the problem here?
They’re Arabs.
I was told by a prominent Egyptian academic (and ironically, a MB sympathizer a couple of years ago that ‘Egyptians will not riot over democracy, but they will riot over bread’.
It seems that he was half right – they will riot over both.
However, those who see this (as one previous poster did) as a sign of burgeoning democracy in Egypt are mistaken. This may be true in the long run (esp. for those with an optimistic view of history), but in the shorter term it just bodes for greater control by the military. As a matter of fact, the military might even allow a certain amount of discord and chaos to manifest, because this can then be used as a reason for them to crack down and assume more power (as happened in Tahrir).
I get the very distinct sense that the military took a step back as the people were calling for some form of elections, and, in order to preserve military authority, they needed a demonstrable lesson. A couple of reasons why they could be comfortable in making that decision are 1) they already have their guns and training in the use of said weapons 2) the MB knows about as much economics as our president. So long as they draw an effective line in the sand that keeps Morsi from causing lasting harm, they can wait for the Muslim Brotherhood to rant their way to failure. The army then picks up the pieces with a vast majority of the populace thanking them for it.
Absolutely agree. I however, do have an optimistic view of history (foolishly perhaps), and believe that once people get a taste of democracy and freedom in any form, it whets their appetite for more.
#25 Miriam
As a matter of fact, the military might even allow a certain amount of discord and chaos to manifest, because this can then be used as a reason for them to crack down and assume more power (as happened in Tahrir).
Which is EXACTLY why I am a bit suspicious of the power failure.
And Miriam, most people know me as ‘eaglesoars’ so I shall use that hence forth
What a lie the Saudi royals are – don’t be so naive! Since the Saudi/Qatar royals-sponsored Muslim Brotherhood(MB) is intent on supremacist, racist, sexist and violent (both psychological/physical) Arabic-Islamic world domination, slavery (especially of women/girls in evil Saudi-Arabic veils), destruction of Israel-Jews & Christians & OIL/MINERAL/LAND ROBBERY – now, that they’ve conquered Libya, Egypt, Mali & Tunisia; the Saudis are kicking out the MB? The Al-Qaeda branch, Muslim World League that Huma Abedin & her parents’ MB’s org worked with, are all based in Saudi; and they suddenly kicked the MB out! Not a chance – these Islamic Nazi liars will do anything to achive their goal especially now, Obama and Abedin are linked to them; thus it’s also about taking the heat off Obama and Abedin! By the way, another tactic to take off the heat off them, is by claiming they’re targeted by Al-Qaeda despite that all kinds of evil Jihadist terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, Taleban, Hamas, Salafist, Nigeria’s Boko Haram and Somalia’s al-Shabaab are all actually created/sponsored by the Saudi-Qatar royals/Muslim Brotherhood. Osama bin Laden (who by the way, is one of the Saudi royals) might be just a small fish in this big dirty and most dangerous game played by Obama and his beloved Saudi king and the MB!
The MB has been trying to gain control of Egypt since the 1930s. Like Pinky and the Brain, they have tried everything under the sun, but with the recent elections, they now have the best chance they’ve ever had. So they will take the country into civil war if they think that in the end they can destroy the Nassar-model of Egyptian society and replace it with a MB-Sharia model.
Like Pinky and the Brain, they will not give up until either they self-destruct or they are destroyed. So don’t be thinking about optimistic solutions in the case of Egypt. It will get violently ugly.
I read that Morsi has replaced the editor of Al Ahram, so we won’t see any more dispatches like that one. He is moving against the army, which he has a right to do.