It was not a coup by Western standards. It is a unique situation. The majority were duped into believing Morsi would govern inclusively. It was the actual population that initiated this "coup". I think its hard to understand in nations where the military is more closely tied to the State, no matter who that is. Egypt has one of the highest participants of its citizens in the military than any other nation. They have the worlds 7th largest army....for a nation that small its notable. Because of this, its armed forces are much more in tune with their families, neighbours, friends...

Its just that we have no comparison. It would have been nice for instance, if the army had stepped in during Bush vs. Gore and secured all Florida voting stations and demanded the recount go ahead on behalf of the citizens. But here, the army has different loyalties.

That's what you do in democracies.

Even if a coup is "popular," it is still a coup.

US law requires us to cut off assistance. This is nothing more than Orwellian doublespeak to get around the law.

Morsi was not running it as a democracy. He got elected yes but then went on to try to rule by decree.

How long would the "democracy" last if it was headed by someone who felt he could ignore the courts or outright abolish them?

...determined to sabotage the new government at every step?

They were/are part of Mubarek's "deep state"--the army, the police, the judiciary, which never went away, and is now once again nakedly in power. The new "president" is a Mubarek croney. The new power is that general in the sunglasses.

The nerve of the Muslim Brotherhood! Thinking they could govern, just because they won the elections.

It was a coup. period. not a coup by western standards? according to whom? according to Senator Leahy, it was a coup. Stop making shit up. it's a deplorable thing to do. Furthermore, al-Sissi is a strongman and he's in charge, not Mansour who was handpicked to serve as a figurehead by the al-Sissi. there is increasing evidence that the military, at least in part, played a role in the uprising.

Living in denial: US policy & Egypt’s military coup

Living in denial never ends well, and failure to recognise Egypt’s military coup will prove counter productive for both Egyptians and Western policymakers.

The US is hard pressed to recognise the importance of calling Morsi’s removal and the appointment of leadership by the military for what it is, a coup. If mishandled by the military and interim government Egypt could be set back for at least another generation, adding to modern Egypt’s 60-year history of authoritarian rule. At the same time, it will generate anti-Western sentiment that may well become a significant security threat.

The US and Europe will be judged against their espoused principles and values, their commitment to the promotion of democracy and human rights. Thus far they are failing the test, much as they did for decades when they supported authoritarian regimes in Egypt, Tunisia, Latin America, and elsewhere. The US and EU need to act now to counter the hardening perception, based on leaks and credible reporting, that the US knew about and - both through its actions and calculated inaction - supported the military coup.

Commitment to the democratic process has been undermined by the continued reluctance and equivocation of the US and others to call a spade a spade. The overthrow of a democratically elected government and its replacement by military-appointed officials is a coup. At the heart of democracy is a commitment to the democratic process and acceptance of the notion of a loyal opposition. Political leaders are elected to office and turned out of office through recourse to the ballot box. The opposition can oppose, even despise, incumbents and employ every legal means to turn them out of office but they remain loyal to the nation and the democratic process or the entire system has no basis of legitimacy. As Mohamed Adel Ismail, a 26-year-old Egyptian social worker put it: "He [Morsi] made some catastrophic mistakes, that must be said, but my understanding of democracy is you allow him to rule and fail and then vote him out."

Despite the "interim government," led by former Mubarak-appointed officials, making promises of political inclusion and a more democratic process, Morsi has been held incommunicado amidst talk of future charges of sedition or other crimes. The Brotherhood has been subjected to wide spread arrests and detention and denounced as terrorists as the military guns down and beats non-violent demonstrators - most recently killing some 51 people and injuring more than 400. The military’s purpose is transparent and in line with the modus operandi of Mubarak for decades: use brute force to intimidate, repress, and provoke the opposition to violence and then say, "Look I told you they were wolves in sheep’s clothing".

<snip>

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/07/2013715105014165446.html

Senator Patrick Leahy: ‘Our law is clear,’ U.S. must cut off aid to Egypt

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said Wednesday the United States was required by law to cut aid to Egypt following a coups d’etat.

“The Morsi government has been a great disappointment to the people of Egypt, and to all who wish Egypt a successful transition to responsive, representative government under the rule of law,” he said in a statement. “He squandered an historic opportunity, preferring to govern by fiat rather than work with other political parties to do what is best for all Egyptians. Egypt’s military leaders say they have no intent or desire to govern, and I hope they make good on their promise.”

“In the meantime, our law is clear: U.S. aid is cut off when a democratically elected government is deposed by military coup or decree,” Leahy added. “As we work on the new budget, my committee also will review future aid to the Egyptian government as we wait for a clearer picture. As the world’s oldest democracy, this is a time to reaffirm our commitment to the principle that transfers of power should be by the ballot, not by force of arms.”

<snip>
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/07/03/senator-patrick-leahy-our-law-is-clear-u-s-must-cut-off-aid-to-egypt/

<snip>

There was, of course, much opposition to Morsi and much support for his overthrow. Evidence is growing, however, that the campaign to collect signatures against him was not waged entirely by idealistic young Egyptians but instead had received ample support from state security forces. And now that the military is firmly in control, it is seeking to mobilize popular support to legitimize its political role.

<snip>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/egypts-sissi-is-not-moving-toward-democracy/2013/07/25/5bd013a4-f498-11e2-aa2e-4088616498b4_story.html

<snip>

Shortly after Mr. Morsi was ousted, one of his senior advisers, Wael Haddara, accused the American administration of “verbal acrobatics,” and asked, “With the entire world calling this a coup, why isn’t the American administration calling it so?”

Under the terms of the Foreign Assistance Act, no aid other than that for democracy promotion can be given to “any country whose duly elected head of government is deposed by military coup d’état.” The law does not allow a presidential waiver, and stipulates that aid cannot be restored until “a democratically elected government has taken office.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/26/world/middleeast/aid-to-egypt-can-keep-flowing-despite-overthrow-white-house-decides.html

As for Egypt being a small country? Nuts, it is. it's the 15th largest country with a population of over 85 million. More made up crap.

See what I did with my post? I sourced my opinions providing evidence instead of making crap up like you. try it.

President Obama doesn't seem as rabidly concerned as you are:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/why-obama-didnt-come-out-swinging-when-morsi-fell/article12978564/

The U.S. President said Wednesday he’s “deeply concerned” about the army intervention, and urged an early return to elected civilian rule – but he did not condemn the ouster outright. “The voices of all those who have protested peacefully must be heard – including those who welcomed today’s developments, and those who have supported President Mursi,” he said in a statement. “In the interim, I urge all sides to avoid violence and come together to ensure the lasting restoration of Egypt’s democracy.”

Just minutes before Egypt’s military commander announced that Mr. Morsi had been removed, however, U.S. State Department spokesman Jen Psaki declined to comment on whether the army could legitimately remove him. “We’re not taking sides in this,” she said.

But one way or the other, the Obama administration is taking a position. A military ouster of an elected president would normally bring sharp recriminations from U.S. officials. This time, the U.S. shrugged.


Maybe listen to Egyptians themselves, the most vocal in favor are BTW liberals and student supporters:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/04/us-egypt-protests-coup-idUSBRE9630RR20130704

"Some Western media insist what happened in Egypt was a coup d'etat. In fact, this was unfair," Moussa, who headed the Arab League until two years ago, told Reuters - as military helicopters clattered overhead near the Nile riverbank.

"This was a popular uprising, a popular revolution," he added. "In fact it was a popular impeachment of the president."

The army did not take the initiative, he said, it heeded mass protests which put millions on the streets on Sunday.

"It didn't come as a result of a meeting between a few officers," he said. "It was the people who insisted."


I take it from your rude non-answer that you would rather Egypt turn into the next Iran where it would sink into a state that would NEVER see democracy return. You have to look at the long term picture, not the short shutterstep of this newly emerging system. I support the POTUS in that I will have patience and wait until I see if the military follows through and holds new fair elections soon. At least there will be a chance that a more liberal candidate might win this time.

Latin America can vouch for that.

This wasn't a coup -- this was the people taking back their revolution. Did we want them to sit back and allow Egypt to follow the Iranian model? The revolution against the Shah was initially started and led by young, educated intellectuals. It was hijacked by the fundamentalists, and we all saw how that worked out for them. Egypt was heading down a similar path. This wasn't the military stepping in unilaterally; they did so at the behest of literally millions of Egyptians who took to the streets to right a wrong. Punishing the people of Egypt for taking back control would serve no purpose.

Imagine the pyramids under the same type of government that did this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhas_of_Bamiyan

In democracies, you change governments with elections.

Everything else is excuses.

Egypt is firmly in the grips of al-Sissi who is a classic strong man, and Mansour is his handpicked puppet.

that overthrew the elected government was definitely no military coup that overthrew the elected government.

But I can only say that on condition of anonymity because I'm not authorized to speak publicly.

we're just pissing away. What an absolute waste. We have bankrupt cities and we pay them this money to keep the peace with the other even bigger welfare-queen in the region (Israel). Of course, we also give the same amount to the violent crack whore Pakistan that even houses nasty terrorists.

I will never understand this country's foreign policy.

Is it a coup yet? Did we just give them a green light?

That usually happens after military coups.

This site sometimes...

At it's worst, after the fall of Murbarrak, it peaked at $24.

Now it is down to about $2.

It was fairly obvious that some people liked the coup. This thread makes it official.

AUSTIN -- Christx30 will tell police Thursday that he won't declare the signs stating 20 MPH as speed limit signs, Chris said, allowing him to drive 70 MPH through school zones.

Yes, it was a coup. It was a TEXTBOOK DEFINITION of a coup.

God damn this is dumb.