Egypt: the status quo ante?

Cairo looks like a mob scene from the French Revolution judging by the takes from BBC World Service and the unshakeable Lyse Doucet. She never flinches when in hearing range of gunfire but rather allows her take to roll off her lips as if she were in a bullet proof cocoon. Plus, she puts together a good narrative. Mind you, she gets a lot of help from the Brotherhood given their inconsolable disposition over the sequestering of Mr. Morsi by none other than the stalwart Egyptian Army.

 

The lads from Texas are breathing a uniform sigh of relief now that the Army is in control. We have no qualms about whether they took over through a coup, force, deception, conspiracy or just common sense. Meanwhile, our friends in the media are calling foul in what they label a violation of democratic principles. They could care less that Morsi abused his mandate, opened the Islamist floodgates, had no clue as to what to do economically, and rendered voiceless everyone in the country who was not a conservative Muslim.

 

Sadly, there is little hope for a viable solution unless common ground for serious economic and political reform can be found. I expect the Army will have some additional duties for a long time to come. These duties may be in the form of ruling the country or worse, subduing the Brotherhood.

 

A civilian leader that the Army might propose on an interim basis and acceptable to all major factions does not exist. The Brotherhood has adamantly refused to accept any solution other than the release and reinstatement of Mohamed Morsi. And they claim that democracy is on their side.

 

My call is to remove the term democracy from the equation all together. Egypt has had dictators in the past that have served the country extremely well. I foresee another one being installed by the Military for a interim period that will morph into several years and possibly more. Only then can Egypt again try to regain control of its population and initiate the economic reforms that are so desperately needed throughout the country.

 

What with Saudi Arabia just having committed three billion dollars to Egypt and with some few billion more coming from other oil rich countries in the Middle East, a good measure of economic fluidity will ensue. In the meantime, the USA and the West can continue their debate over what is and what is not democratic in the land of the Pharos.

 

I dare say it won't take the USA too long to figure out what is needed. Given a little prompting from Israel, we will climb on board, continue to throw money at the Egyptian military and reluctantly return to the status quo ante.

 

If Egypt is to climb out of a thought process dominated by ethics that prevailed during the Middle Ages, then its youthful population needs to be given remunerative jobs. I don't see an Arab Reformation on the horizon, but with an open educational system and expanded work opportunities, the country can stabilize itself through focusing upon material objectives and through participation in the development of housing, infrastructure, agriculture and the utilization of available resources including technology.

 

Perhaps I am wishing for too much. Then again, perhaps it will rain again one day in Texas.