Egypt: Between Islamists and the Military

The Muslim Brotherhood candidate won the two day Egyptian presidential election.

 In the wake of this victory, the Egyptian military has made a grab for unprecedented powers. The Egyptian military does not appear willing to give up power without a fight. Egypt has been ruled by military figures and strongmen for almost forty years.

 For its’ part, the United States government has expressed concern about the military, not respecting the election results, a key element of any democratic process.

The Egyptian military should respect the election results. That’s the bottom line.

 Egypt is primarily a Muslim country, so the Muslim Brotherhoods electoral victory should’ve been expected.

 But then again, the military in Egypt has no real interest in democracy or democratic processes. Military officials are ultimately concerned about their position and role within the government in Egypt.

This standoff between the electoral reality in Egypt and the militaries historic role was sadly too predictable. Hopefully, we can settle it without blood in the streets.