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The streets of Cairo were quiet on Tuesday but Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood movement called for more protests later in the day, raising the risk of further violence.
Under pressure to restore democracy quickly, Adli Mansour, the judge named head of state by the army when it brought down Mursi last week, decreed overnight that a parliamentary vote would be held in about six months. That would be followed by a presidential election.
Of all people, Sean Hannity was telling anyone who would listen, that pushing for quick elections after Mubarak was ousted, was almost going to guarantee that the Muslim Brotherhood would win, because they were by far, the largest, most organized group. Now, some Egyptians want to rush on to the next unknown entity?
What do you think? Is the military in power, such a dire threat, that they need to hurry on to new elections ASAP? Or will the people descend into chaos if they don't see someone, anyone, holding the reins of power?
The military in Egypt has the respect and trust of the people because they haven't sought to impose military rule. Instead, the military has promoted democracy. A country doesn't just become a democracy overnight. The American Revolution was in 1776. And the American Constitution that we live by today was drafted in 1789. Thirteen years. Egypt is working towards developing a system of government where power is vested in the people, not in a king or a dictator or in the military. And it takes time to develop such a system. It takes time for the people to find ways to wield their power, to deal with the power shifts that happen between factions, to work out the compromises that are necessary to have a stable, productive society.
I think the decision to move ahead with elections is the right one. In this case, people have to learn by doing. The longer the military calls the shots, the more comfortable people become with that system of government.
That said, the people of Egypt are going to have a government that reflects the people of Egypt. They aren't going to consider what the United States wants, nor should they. The Egyptian government should reflect Egypt, with all her many facets, all her complexity, her ancient heritage. The challenges that Egypt faces, diplomatic, economic, social, are unique to Egypt, and the solutions will be unique to Egypt as well. That's something that Americans need to understand. Our solutions aren't the best solutions for everyone else in the world. We have an obligation, based on our principles and on our heritage, to support the people of Egypt as they strive to find a more democratic form of government. We aren't obligated to support the actions of the new Egyptian government. We can disagree, we can criticize, we can offer our advice. But we cannot control Egypt, nor should we want to.
We spent over a year in 2007-2009 trying to find out who to elect as president, and we did not have civic unrest, and all the sundry problems that Egypt has to contend with, to cloud and confuse the election.
I think rushing to elections without properly vetting the candidates will only elect the next dictator wannabe.
We spent over a year in 2007-2009 trying to find out who to elect as president, and we did not have civic unrest, and all the sundry problems that Egypt has to contend with, to cloud and confuse the election.
I think rushing to elections without properly vetting the candidates will only elect the next dictator wannabe.
Egypt is a different country from the United States. We have our own problems to contend with, Egypt has her problems. I don't think the problems cloud and confuse elections, it's the rhetoric, the spin of candidates that tend to cloud and confuse an election. Egypt is a smaller country. It is every bit as complex as the United States, but it has set itself on a path toward democracy. And the only way it can travel on that path is by traveling, by moving. The civic unrest that's been happening is how the various factions are identifying themselves, forming alliances, defining the issues. Once these factions name their candidates, it's simply up to the people to make their choice. This isn't rushing to election. They are already halfway there. This is simply moving to the next chapter.
The streets of Cairo were quiet on Tuesday but Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood movement called for more protests later in the day, raising the risk of further violence.
Under pressure to restore democracy quickly, Adli Mansour, the judge named head of state by the army when it brought down Mursi last week, decreed overnight that a parliamentary vote would be held in about six months. That would be followed by a presidential election.
Of all people, Sean Hannity was telling anyone who would listen, that pushing for quick elections after Mubarak was ousted, was almost going to guarantee that the Muslim Brotherhood would win, because they were by far, the largest, most organized group. Now, some Egyptians want to rush on to the next unknown entity?
What do you think? Is the military in power, such a dire threat, that they need to hurry on to new elections ASAP? Or will the people descend into chaos if they don't see someone, anyone, holding the reins of power?
Who knows what is the "correct answer", but whatever it is, is up to the Egyptians, not the US.
Last edited by florida.bob; 07-09-2013 at 08:18 AM..
Of all people, Sean Hannity was telling anyone who would listen, that pushing for quick elections after Mubarak was ousted, was almost going to guarantee that the Muslim Brotherhood would win, because they were by far, the largest, most organized group.
What do you think?
I think they should pay attention to whatever Sean Hannity says, and then do the opposite.
Egypt is a different country from the United States. We have our own problems to contend with, Egypt has her problems. I don't think the problems cloud and confuse elections, it's the rhetoric, the spin of candidates that tend to cloud and confuse an election. Egypt is a smaller country. It is every bit as complex as the United States, but it has set itself on a path toward democracy. And the only way it can travel on that path is by traveling, by moving. The civic unrest that's been happening is how the various factions are identifying themselves, forming alliances, defining the issues. Once these factions name their candidates, it's simply up to the people to make their choice. This isn't rushing to election. They are already halfway there. This is simply moving to the next chapter.
You make some excellent points - before the elections will be the Constitutional convention (for lack of a better name) - they have a much better idea now of what they want AND don't want in their Constitution. The interim President has proposed a path to the Constitution that is more inclusive that what Morsi & the Muslim Brothers whittled it down to.
The interim President has also issue a 33 item declaration to stand for the Constitution until it is written and approved by referendum. This all sounds reasonable, but there are already complaints by some on all sides. This is going to be a rocky road, not because of the pro/con arguments about the Constitution - but (as of right now) the Muslim Brotherhood is refusing to accept any of this.
They want a re-wind with them and their spokesman, Mursi back in total control and that's just not going to happen. We all wish them luck, but the reality is that they have to figure this out on their own - they really don't want our opinion about any of it.
Well if I was the Muslim Brotherhood why would I even bother entering the elections? If I win the military will simply nullify the results. Seems like a waste of time. I guess this gives folks the time to manipulate the process to get the results they want.
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