A Military Constitution

[Jefferson23]

Now that the Egyptian military has ousted the first elected president, installed a government of civilian executors, massacred the former president’s supporters and sympathizers, and declared his organization a terrorist group, it is set to produce a document it calls a constitution that codifies military superiority over state and society.

Not content to delegate the task of selling the document to the 50 people it appointed to write it, the military is doing its own sales pitch. It has issued this video laying out how all three branches of the armed forces, as well as special forces, border guards and military police, will deploy 160,000 men to assist the Interior Ministry in “securing” the referendum on the document.

The video is an endless parade of military prowess: rolling tanks and armored personnel carriers; formations of ramrod-straight troops bearing huge rifles; and of course the military’s treasured helicopters, this time not to draw hearts in the sky but “to monitor any obstructions to the electoral operation.” At the end of the video the voice-over narrator avers, “This comes at a time when the armed forces are undertaking vigilance and preparedness procedures to execute their principal duties on all the strategic fronts of the state.”

One could be forgiven for thinking that Egypt is on the cusp of war, not an impending plebiscite. But war is what militaries do, and when countries are blighted by politicized militaries that control their politics, the guns are turned inward. This isn’t a figure of speech. Since July 3rd, the military and its junior partner the police have repeatedly killed opponents of the coup, not content with “just” arrests and jail terms.

http://baheyya.blogspot.gr/2014/01/a-military-constitution.html

[rafeh1]

1. Egypt coup against Dr Morsi

Egypt coup against Dr Morsi is exactly like Pinochet's coup against the leaglly elected Dr Salvadore Allende or the Iranian military coup against Dr. Mossadegh. All three leaders were well educated moderates trying to satisfy their public against an out of control military.

Dr. Morsi, Dr Allende and Dr. Mossadegh were all demonized by US right wingers prior to the coup.

[Jefferson23]

2. Perhaps the citizens who supported it have already begun to regret it:

from another article:

“So far, I don’t see that el-Sissi has a coherent economic program that can address the real economic and social problems in Egypt,” said Khalil el-Anani, a senior fellow at Washington’s Middle East Institute. “He cannot continue to bank on the anti-Muslim Brotherhood sentiment for support. He needs to deliver solutions to economic and social issues.”

Read more: Egypt: El-Sissi Seeks Mandate From Vote on Charter | TIME.com http://world.time.com/2014/01/09/egypt-el-sissi-seeks-mandate-from-vote-on-charter/#ixzz2qKPutnXW