Egypt’s regime consolidates power
Army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi promoted himself to field marshal and signaled that he intends to run for president.
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
As Egypt marked the third anniversary of the uprising against former President Hosni Mubarak, the country’s military regime hauled ousted leader Mohammed Morsi before a Cairo court in a soundproof glass cage to face criminal charges. Striking a defiant tone, Morsi, the first and so far only democratically elected president of Egypt, shouted, “I am the president of the republic!” before his microphone was silenced. The Muslim Brotherhood leader, elected in June 2012, was deposed in July 2013 in a popularly backed military coup led by army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who has since imposed a brutal crackdown against Muslim Brotherhood members, leaving more than 1,000 people dead. El-Sissi this week promoted himself to field marshal and signaled that he intends to run for president.
Three years after Egyptians deposed one dictator, said Roger Cohen in The New York Times, they’re now faced with another: El-Sissi, a “military hero with the trappings of a new pharaoh.” The Obama administration’s silence is “telling.” Having briefly stuck with Mubarak, then sided with Morsi, the U.S. is now apparently happy to allow the Egyptian military—the recipient of some $1.3 billion a year in aid, some of it now suspended—to trash hopes “for a more inclusive, tolerant, and democratic order in the Middle East.”
What’s the alternative? asked Jonathan Tobin in CommentaryMagazine.com. Egypt’s “brief experiment with democracy” resulted in a “brush with an Islamist dictatorship.” The ongoing string of militant attacks in Sinai is ample evidence that Egypt faces a jihadist insurgency. Any U.S. action that weakens the Egyptian military, such as suspending more aid, will only strengthen our “Islamist foes.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Amid all the “hand-wringing” over military aid, said Eric Trager in NewRepublic.com, no one should overlook that Egyptians aren’t “passive actors in their own country’s story.” A critical mass of them has backed a constitution that effectively restores the authoritarianism of the Mubarak era. “Within Egypt itself, ‘Arab Spring’ romanticism is practically—and very sadly—dead.”
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
The Liberal Democrat housing drama
Why Everyone's Talking About Ed Davey suffered a bruising defeat on the conference floor leading some to question his leadership
By Rebekah Evans Published
-
Petition to resign
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
A weekend in Lausanne: travel guide, things to do, food and drink
The Week Recommends Everything you need to know for a city break on Lake Geneva
By The Week Staff Published
-
Trump surrenders in Georgia election subversion case
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries chosen to succeed Pelosi as leader of House Democrats
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
GOP leader Kevin McCarthy's bid for House speaker may really be in peril
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Are China's protests a real threat for Beijing?
opinion The sharpest opinions on the debate from around the web
By Harold Maass Published
-
Who is Nick Fuentes, the white nationalist who dined with Trump and Kanye?
Speed Read From Charlottesville to Mar-a-Lago in just five years
By Rafi Schwartz Published
-
Jury convicts Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs of seditious conspiracy in landmark Jan. 6 verdict
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
A look at the White House's festive and homey holiday decor
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
Bob Iger addresses 'Don't Say Gay' bill, says inclusion is part of Disney's values
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published