Since the Egyptian military ousted President Mohamed Morsi from office in early July, the crisis in Egypt has become more complex. The crisis has brought more uncertainty to the country’s future, as indicated by recent tensions between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military.

The Daily Orange spoke with two professors to update students on the crisis and to explain the situation.

The D.O.: Morsi was ousted by the military, after barely a year in office. Why did that happen?

Mehrzad Boroujerdi, an associate professor of political science in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs: The military and the Egyptian people felt that the Muslim Brotherhood, represented by Morsi, did not perform well. Egypt was going down the drain economically, they were monopolizing the power, which lead to these massive protests. There was a strong sense that the military had a hand in creating (problems such as) shortages of gasoline, showing that Morsi was incapable of addressing the economy.

Isaac Kfir, a visiting professor of law and international relations in the College of Law: What we essentially are seeing is an attempt by the military to reestablish control and law and order in Egypt as a result of Morsi’s rise to power. The military see Morsi as incompetent at the time.

There were a number of incidents in the Sinai Peninsula relating to al-Qaida activities that saw the killing of a number of Egyptian soldiers. Morsi’s inability or unwillingness – the military saw it as unwillingness, he claimed he was unable to deal with the situation – escalated out of control.

But there is also tension between a religious body and a secular military. The military is a very powerful entity in Egypt, so once Morsi attempted to maybe influence the military, the military reacted.

The D.O.: How is religion playing a role in the crisis?

I.K.: The Muslim Brotherhood is a religious organization. I wouldn’t describe them as fanatical. They’re a conservative social movement. That’s where their roots are based.

 

The military in Egypt has always been a secular entity. They’ve always tried to keep religion out of the ranks. When Morsi comes into office, he has a very social, somewhat religious agenda. One could even suggest that he is trying to copy what was happening in Turkey, and the military does not like that.

There were also a lot of concerns that if Egypt becomes a religious entity, it would lose a lot of foreign aid. Egypt is one of the largest Arab countries, so there were a lot of concerns that would affect the situation.

The D.O.: Was Morsi’s ousting a step in the right direction for Egypt?

M.B.: It depends on who you ask. There is no guarantee that the military will address the economic difficulties in Egypt. Many Egyptians are below the poverty line, there’s very poor infrastructure. If the military has the upper hand, supporters will say it was the correct measure. Others will say they did something illegal.

The D.O.: Is the interim president, Adly Mansour, actually in power, or does the military have the power there?

M.B.: Mansour was appointed by the head of the army. Sisi, the head of the armed forces, is really the main guy. He calls the shots. Mansour is a figurehead.

ekmeyers@syr.edu

Published on August 28, 2013 at 1:35 am

Contact Ellen: ekmeyers@syr.edu | @ellenkmeyers