1. The Military
ProPublica writes: “There are two directions the Higher Military Council can go,” former army General Samah Seif El Yazal told the BBC. “The first is to ask the existing government to run the country for a transitional period of perhaps a year. The other option is for the military to run the country by committee. We are very anxious to hear from them about what they intend to do.”
BBC: "Egypt's military authorities have pledged to oversee a transition to civilian rule, a day after the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. In a statement read out on state TV, they said they had asked the current government to stay on until a new one was formed."
First option prevails for the moment: military rule through the government:
Guardian reports:
The Egyptian military has rejected the demands of pro-democracy protesters for a swift transfer of power to a civilian administration, saying it intends to rule by martial law until elections are held
Ruling military council intends to retain power for six months or longer while elections are scheduled and will rule by decree
Moreover, the military will assert its power againts the protesters and strikers:
In a sign that the army will only tolerate a limited challenge to its power, it is expected to issue a communique on Monday saying that it will crack down on those creating "chaos and disorder" as well as effectively banning strikes.
First act: the military clears out ptoterster at Tahrir Feb 14
Independent: Egypt's military delivered an ultimatum to dozens of committed protesters in Tahrir Square, nerve-centre of a movement that toppled Hosni Mubarak, to leave and let life get back to normal or face arrest.
Second Act: A first timeframe (Feb 14) 2 weeks for the constitution, 2 months for referendum
accompanied by : the militaries' deferrent behaviour!
How completely the military will deliver on its promises of a transition to a constitutional democracy will not be clear until the election, currently set for six months from now. But the young revolutionaries — most in their early 30s — were clearly impressed by the deference they received from the two military officials, Maj. Gen. Mahmoud Hijazi and Maj. Gen. Abdel Fattah
“We all sensed a sincere desire to preserve the gains of the revolution and unprecedented respect for the right of young people to express their views,” two of the young organizers, Mr. Ghonim and Amr Salama, wrote in their Facebookposting, with the disclaimer that they were speaking only for themselves. They noted that the generals spoke without any of the usual “parental tone (you do not know what is good for you, son),” and called the encounter “the first time an Egyptian official sat down to listen more than speak.”
How do Egyptians judge the military?
Veteran journalist Hani Shukrallah writes: do not fight ghosts, they can be trusted:
"The army is not about to seize political power, nor is there a threat of military rule. I understand the concern, but do not sympathize with the phobia. We should stop letting the ghosts of our past interfere with how we conceive of our present, and determine our future"
The younger blogger and journalist Hossam el-Hamalawy writes:¨
ProPublica writes: “There are two directions the Higher Military Council can go,” former army General Samah Seif El Yazal told the BBC. “The first is to ask the existing government to run the country for a transitional period of perhaps a year. The other option is for the military to run the country by committee. We are very anxious to hear from them about what they intend to do.”
BBC: "Egypt's military authorities have pledged to oversee a transition to civilian rule, a day after the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. In a statement read out on state TV, they said they had asked the current government to stay on until a new one was formed."
First option prevails for the moment: military rule through the government:
Guardian reports:
The Egyptian military has rejected the demands of pro-democracy protesters for a swift transfer of power to a civilian administration, saying it intends to rule by martial law until elections are held
Ruling military council intends to retain power for six months or longer while elections are scheduled and will rule by decree
Moreover, the military will assert its power againts the protesters and strikers:
In a sign that the army will only tolerate a limited challenge to its power, it is expected to issue a communique on Monday saying that it will crack down on those creating "chaos and disorder" as well as effectively banning strikes.
JC:
The generals have suspended the 1971 constitution, which they say they will amend before holding free presidential and parliamentary elections sometime in the next six months. They also dissolved parliament. There will be a popular referendum on the amendments. In short, the officer corps is acting as the instrument of Egyptian popular sovereignty, representing the people and consulting them without having been chosen by them, until that people’s choice can be made.
First act: the military clears out ptoterster at Tahrir Feb 14
Independent: Egypt's military delivered an ultimatum to dozens of committed protesters in Tahrir Square, nerve-centre of a movement that toppled Hosni Mubarak, to leave and let life get back to normal or face arrest.
Second Act: A first timeframe (Feb 14) 2 weeks for the constitution, 2 months for referendum
accompanied by : the militaries' deferrent behaviour!
How completely the military will deliver on its promises of a transition to a constitutional democracy will not be clear until the election, currently set for six months from now. But the young revolutionaries — most in their early 30s — were clearly impressed by the deference they received from the two military officials, Maj. Gen. Mahmoud Hijazi and Maj. Gen. Abdel Fattah
“We all sensed a sincere desire to preserve the gains of the revolution and unprecedented respect for the right of young people to express their views,” two of the young organizers, Mr. Ghonim and Amr Salama, wrote in their Facebookposting, with the disclaimer that they were speaking only for themselves. They noted that the generals spoke without any of the usual “parental tone (you do not know what is good for you, son),” and called the encounter “the first time an Egyptian official sat down to listen more than speak.”
How do Egyptians judge the military?
Veteran journalist Hani Shukrallah writes: do not fight ghosts, they can be trusted:
"The army is not about to seize political power, nor is there a threat of military rule. I understand the concern, but do not sympathize with the phobia. We should stop letting the ghosts of our past interfere with how we conceive of our present, and determine our future"
The younger blogger and journalist Hossam el-Hamalawy writes:¨
A civilian government means one that fully represents the Egyptian people's demands and desires without any intervention from the top brass. I think it will be very hard to accomplish this, if the junta allows it at all. The military has been the ruling institution in this country since 1952. Its leaders are part of the establishment. And while the young officers and soldiers are our allies, we cannot for one second lend our trust and confidence to the generals
The Guardian points out that the military was not a neutral force during the protests, suggesting that :
"The Egyptian military has secretly detained hundreds and possibly thousands of suspected government opponents since mass protests against President Hosni Mubarak began, and at least some of these detainees have been tortured, according to testimony gathered by the Guardian."
The Guardian points out that the military was not a neutral force during the protests, suggesting that :
"The Egyptian military has secretly detained hundreds and possibly thousands of suspected government opponents since mass protests against President Hosni Mubarak began, and at least some of these detainees have been tortured, according to testimony gathered by the Guardian."
"Bahgat said the pattern of accounts from those released showed the military had been conducting a campaign to break the protests. "Some people, especially the activists, say they were interrogated about any possible links to political organisations or any outside forces. For the ordinary protesters, they get slapped around and asked: 'Why are you in Tahrir?' It seems to serve as an interrogation operation and an intimidation and deterrence."
The military has claimed to be neutral in the political standoff and both Mubarak and his prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, have said there will be no "security pursuit" of anti-government activists. But Morayef says this is clearly not the case.
"I think it's become pretty obvious by now that the military is not a neutral party. The military doesn't want and doesn't believe in the protests and this is even at the lower level, based on the interrogations," she said."
The Egyptian military is a large economic complex under the Minister for military production. The Time explains how it started and developped:
Military factories first sprang up in the 1820s to produce uniforms and small arms. Their role expanded with the state-led economy from the early 1950s and was consolidated when the military needed to place hundreds of thousands soldiers downsized after the peace agreement with Israel. (At that point, the active military had numbered about 900,000.)
… Another source of the military's untold wealth is its hold on one of this densely populated country's most precious commodities: public land, which is increasingly being converted into gated communities and resorts. The military has other advantages: it does not pay taxes and does not have to deal with the bureaucratic red tape that strangles the private sector.
FP remarks:
It took Turkey sixty years, from 1950 to 2010 - from the first democratic elections to the Ergenekon affair - to impose a respectable amount of civilian control over the military. The path was anything but easy. There were four military coups (three hard and one soft), the execution of a prime minister, the repeated banning of political parties unpalatable to the military brass, and even a threat as late as 2007 that the military may stage a coup if Abdullah Gul was elected president of the republic
"I think it's become pretty obvious by now that the military is not a neutral party. The military doesn't want and doesn't believe in the protests and this is even at the lower level, based on the interrogations," she said."
The Egyptian military is a large economic complex under the Minister for military production. The Time explains how it started and developped:
Military factories first sprang up in the 1820s to produce uniforms and small arms. Their role expanded with the state-led economy from the early 1950s and was consolidated when the military needed to place hundreds of thousands soldiers downsized after the peace agreement with Israel. (At that point, the active military had numbered about 900,000.)
… Another source of the military's untold wealth is its hold on one of this densely populated country's most precious commodities: public land, which is increasingly being converted into gated communities and resorts. The military has other advantages: it does not pay taxes and does not have to deal with the bureaucratic red tape that strangles the private sector.
As a result:
Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi remains both Defense Minister and Minister of Military Production, which makes him, in effect, CEO of a vast military-run commercial enterprise that seeps into every corner of Egyptian society.
Paul Sullivan, a National Defense University professor who has spent years in Egypt, says it is huge, probably accounting for 10% to 15% of Egypt's $210 billion economy.FP remarks:
It took Turkey sixty years, from 1950 to 2010 - from the first democratic elections to the Ergenekon affair - to impose a respectable amount of civilian control over the military. The path was anything but easy. There were four military coups (three hard and one soft), the execution of a prime minister, the repeated banning of political parties unpalatable to the military brass, and even a threat as late as 2007 that the military may stage a coup if Abdullah Gul was elected president of the republic
The military-dominated Egyptian power structure is replicated in many other countries in the region, with Syria and Algeria being the prime examples. One should not forget that the Syrian rulers killed 20,000 of their own citizens in Hama in 1982 to avert a challenge to the Assad regime. The Algerian military by aborting the 1992 elections let loose a reign of terror in that country from which it has not recovered until this day. The Jordanian army ethnically cleansed Palestinian camps in 1970 to prevent the fall of the Hashemite monarchy.
2. The Government
VOA: First statement, posts vacant
The statement was issued shortly after Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq said the top priority of his military-backed Cabinet is restoring security and a normal life in Egypt.
He also said several Cabinet posts remain vacant and promised that any new appointees will be thoroughly vetted to ensure they are satisfactory to the public.
The news conference was the prime minister's first since Mr. Mubarak stepped down Friday and handed power to the military under pressure from mass protests against his nearly 30-year rule. Mr. Mubarak appointed Mr. Shafiq as prime minister on January 29th four days after the protests began.
Indeed, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik had told him that he would reshuffle his cabinet in the coming week to bring opposition figures into the line-up appointed by Mubarak last month.
3. Tahrir
Still there, but still without faces and clear programme and possibly with a changing schedule (JPost):
"the main coalition of youth and opposition groups in Egypt said it will end its protest in a central Cairo square. But the groups said they will call for weekly demonstrations to maintain pressure on the ruling military to implement democratic reforms"
4. Other state institutions:
Constitutional Court, have been cited as part of the state care-taker along with the High military councel, although silent - in discussions with Tantawi and gvt.
Government, should stay in place.
Parliament due to be dissolved.
2. The Government
VOA: First statement, posts vacant
The statement was issued shortly after Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq said the top priority of his military-backed Cabinet is restoring security and a normal life in Egypt.
He also said several Cabinet posts remain vacant and promised that any new appointees will be thoroughly vetted to ensure they are satisfactory to the public.
The news conference was the prime minister's first since Mr. Mubarak stepped down Friday and handed power to the military under pressure from mass protests against his nearly 30-year rule. Mr. Mubarak appointed Mr. Shafiq as prime minister on January 29th four days after the protests began.
Indeed, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik had told him that he would reshuffle his cabinet in the coming week to bring opposition figures into the line-up appointed by Mubarak last month.
3. Tahrir
Still there, but still without faces and clear programme and possibly with a changing schedule (JPost):
"the main coalition of youth and opposition groups in Egypt said it will end its protest in a central Cairo square. But the groups said they will call for weekly demonstrations to maintain pressure on the ruling military to implement democratic reforms"
"VICTORY MARCH" - Pro-democracy leaders say Egyptians will demonstrate again if their demands for radical change are not met. They plan a big "Victory March" on Friday to celebrate the revolution -- and perhaps to remind the military of the power of the street
4. Other state institutions:
Constitutional Court, have been cited as part of the state care-taker along with the High military councel, although silent - in discussions with Tantawi and gvt.
Government, should stay in place.
Parliament due to be dissolved.
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