Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Spring Cleaning

So far, Egypt's President Mursi isn't interested in heeding the Egyptian military's ultimatum to form a coalition government with the opposition taking to the streets in massive protests. Has the government's failure to resolve economic and political problems made the army's lower ranks willing to overthrow an Islamist government?

Egypt's army is staring down the government:

Egypt's military has drawn up a plan to suspend the Islamist-backed constitution, dissolve the Islamist-dominated legislature and set up an interim administration headed by the country's chief justice if President Mohammed Morsi fails to reach a solution with his opponents by the end of a Wednesday deadline, the state news agency reported.

The report Tuesday provided the first details on the road map that the military has said it will implement if Morsi fails to meet its ultimatum, as millions of protesters returned to the streets for the third straight day in their drive to force the Islamist president out of office.

Without economic progress and without rule of law, mobs can compel extra-legal action and the army becomes willing to act.

So far, Mursi isn't willing to back down. Will troops obey orders that turn out the Islamist Moslem Brotherhood government?

We'll see if the new rules the military wants to impose on candidates keep Islamists not interested in rule of law from simply winning new elections. Millions on the street still don't matter if tens of millions are willing to keep voting for Islamists.