Political Chaos in Egypt

When last we met, I discussed the consequences of Mubarak's prison sentence. With the one-time dictator out of the picture (and even recent rumors that Mubarak had died of a stroke), the issue of political succession has taken on renewed importance. Ever since Mubarak left office, a showdown between the old guard of Mubarak supporters and the populist Muslim Brotherhood has loomed large over every political act. Now that showdown has come to a head.

Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi was officially declared the winner of Egypt's heated election. The election, between Morsi and Mubarak's final prime minister Ahmed Shafiq, bitterly divided the nation. Many Egyptians, faced with the choice of supporting what they see as an illegal military-led government or a dangerous theocratic terrorist group, simply boycotted the vote altogether. Reports of domestic violence shot upward as family members physically assaulted (or even killed) one another because of political differences.

Morsi already has an uphill political battle ahead of him. In an unexpected move, the Egyptian military issued a declaration that transferred significant powers from the office of president to the Supreme Council of Armed Forces just hours after the polls closed but before the results had been fully counted. Among these powers include control over the country's budget as well as sweeping legislative authority. Needless to say, that move has sparked a tremendous outcry among the populace of Cairo.

So we have serious tension building in the streets of Cairo. Again. Somewhat worryingly, Muslim Brotherhood member of Parliament Saad al-Katatni declared that the declaration was "null and void" and that it was time for the Egyptians to protect their revolution. Language like that smacks of the theocratic revolution of Iran in 1979, an event that had bad results for the American presence in the Middle East. And I'm not the only one noticing the similarities. Congressman Allen West called on President Obama to cut off all foreign aid to Egypt to protest the Muslim Brotherhood's near-total domination of Egypt's government. "A year ago there were those of us who warned the Obama administration of a Muslim Brotherhood takeover in Egypt," Congressman West wrote on his Facebook page. "Today our predictions have come to reality and the ominous specter reminding us of the Iranian revolution is evident." West also called President Obama "the second coming of President Jimmy Carter..."

Have I mentioned how much I like Congressman West?