Monday, July 1, 2013

Strange days - Updated

I have no idea how things will play out in Egypt, but one can't help but be struck by the deep strangeness of the military's ultimatum to Morsi. A Middle East country's military is requiring that its Islamic-led government, heretofore a proxy for "the Arab street," "satisfy" the demands of masses of protesters or be ousted.

Update: Again, it's early to draw any conclusions, but the most striking thing in the wake of the coup in Egypt is the absence of major outcry from the Islamic jihadis of the world. I would guess that most Egyptians feel good (or neutral) about the ouster of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood -- in large part because they were shown as not being ready for prime time. They couldn't run a country. But in a hyper-theologized culture, such mundane concerns are secondary. When everything is framed in terms of good and evil, the point is entirely which side you're on. So how come they're not giving up a good geshrei about their side being thrown out? Maybe it's because of factionalism or sectarianism -- and maybe the whole thing will devolve -- perhaps into some species of Sunni-Shiite warfare. Still, I would have expected louder denunciations from around the Middle East.

Update 2: Well, it certainly was early to jump to conclusions. Watch out below.

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