Mohammed ElBaradei, a career diplomat and law scholar whose nomination for the post of Prime Minister was strongly rejected by al-Nour – Egypt Salafi political faction – was sworn in this Sunday as Egypt’s new interim vice-president for foreign relations.
The return to power of Egypt’s old guard, the remnants of former President Hosni Mubarak’s era has enraged the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters as it is asserting their belief that foreign powers – essentially the United States of America – are forcing Egypt’s former autocrats back onto the political scene to the detriment of parties seen as opposed to an Israeli friendly policy in the region.
Other figures of the former regime were also introduced such as Nabil Fahmy, a former Egyptian ambassador to the United States.
Officials confirmed that Interim Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi will meet with cabinet nominees throughout Sunday and Monday in a bid to form Egypt’s next working cabinet and erase from political life the imprint of the Muslim Brotherhood.
While the military which orchestrated this coup against President Morsi through clever manipulation of the public opinion is now slowly unveiling its plan – the return in power of the former regime figures – as to ensure that Egypt remains firmly under the thumb of Washington, Egyptians are none the wisest, fooled by a democratic mirage.
Blinded by economic frustration and deteriorating life conditions, most Egyptians have fallen into the trap set before them by the military’s masterminds, unaware that their calls for change against Morsi will herald an era deprived of civil liberties, where democracy and justice will be as empty as the promises of their leaders.
While Egyptians are celebrating what they believe to be the victory of the people over the state, soon will they learn to remember the fall of President Morsi as the day Egyptian democracy died.
The political set up
The engine of the Middle East, Egypt, holds within the key to the region. As witnessed in 2011, the ouster of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak from power prompted nations across the region to, too oppose their own autocratic regime, its people emboldened by the Egyptian example.
When Egyptians stood firm against repression, determined to remain peaceful in their revolutionary movement, the region too chose to adopt their model, all protesters chanting unanimously, “Peaceful, Peaceful.”
While the world powers watched mesmerized the old world order crumble into dust, governments worked tirelessly at devising ways which would ensure they retain their control over the region and its governments. The arrival onto the political scene of the Muslim Brotherhood changed everything.
While the US and Israel could pretend to interfere and influence former President Mubarak’s policies, dealing with a party which is by nature opposed to the Zionist agenda would prove difficult, if not impossible.
In keeping with its Modus Operandi, what America cannot buy it destroys, the US sought to destroy and discredit the Muslim Brotherhood as to create a broad popular reactionary movement against its policies and introduce the return of its contenders to power.
The idea was to use popular anger to engineer President Morsi’s demise and thus lay waste to Egyptian democracy.
One has to remember that the Muslim Brotherhood posed a double threat to the US and Israel in that it controlled both the executive through the presidency and the legislative through the parliament, something that even dictator Hosni Mubarak failed to achieve during his three decades in power.
Roadblocks and manipulation
With President Morsi in control of Egypt’s heart and mind, America chose to attack people where it would hurt the most, by crippling the country’s economy and the state infrastructures.
One has to remember that President Morsi himself often warned against such conspiracy against Egypt, urging his people to “open their eyes to foreign powers’ plans and deceptions.” His warnings were sadly ignored, drawn by the lies of the opposition.
The enemies of democracy manipulated food prices as to force more families over the poverty threshold, thus creating resentment and anger amid the Egyptian working class, the backbone of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Electric cuts and gas shortages were organized to create a sense of instability and chaos across the country, exacerbating anger toward the government and its ministers’ inabilities to solve the nation’s many issues.
Month after month, the US and its allies in the region — Saudi Arabia and the UAE — sabotaged President Morsi, weaving the net of his misfortune.
And while many might argue that such a conspiracy theory is only based on speculation, one needs then to ask why within days of the coup, electricity was restored nationwide without any interruption. One needs to ask why the UAE and Saudi Arabia were so keen to open its coffers to Egypt, pouring into its economy billions of dollars when President Morsi was refused aids.
Ever since the opposition “freed” Egypt as it claims, civilians have been unlawfully arrested, their houses and businesses raided, men and women have been physically abused in the streets for they dared critic the military for its intervention in Egypt political life.
Journalists and TV channels have been raided and taken off the air, as to create a media blackout, a clear sign that Egypt democratic values are being trampled upon.
Fighting back
Far from admitting defeat, the Muslim Brotherhood has intensified its calls for the reinstatement of President Morsi, warning that they would escalate their protests until all of their demands are met, starting with President Morsi immediate release.
President Morsi has been held captive without charge by the military ever since July 3rd coup d’état.
His arrest and deposition was followed by a witch-hunt against the Muslim Brotherhood with the arrests of hundreds of its leaders and supporters.
In a bid to legitimize their actions, the military and the political opposition have announced that a probe had been opened against President Morsi after “complaints were received against his person and his party,” said Deputy Prosecutor General Adel al-Said in a statement this Sunday.
The Muslim Brotherhood has decried the move as preposterous.
Through a calculated plot against President Morsi’s leadership and Egypt’s budding democracy the US and with it Israel, have managed once again to oust a democratically elected leader in the Middle East to impose their own vision onto the region.
Just as Iran was robbed of its democracy in 1953 when the US and the then-British Empire engineered a coup to help the ascent to power of the Shah of Iran, Egypt’s President Morsi is being forced out in favor of a pliable, anti-democratic regime which will follow the will of its master, the US.