If it looks like a coup, and quacks like a coup, there's a good chance it may be a coup. All that optimistic Arab Spring democracy stuff is getting more and more complicated with each passing day. Sure, Egypt's president Morsi was an inept Islamist politician who was a disaster, but he was, um, democratically elected and is more moderate than many of the other Islamists. I'm all for separating church and state, but the majority doesn't seem to want to do that in Egypt. (Not to mention the fact that the military didn't do themselves any favors shooting hundreds of protestors, no matter who fired the first shot.)
Why should we care about what goes on in Egypt? Well, besides the fact that the Middle East wouldn't be helped by having multiple civil wars taking place, the United States gives loads of dough to Egypt. We've been paying cold hard cash for a little stability in the region for decades, and would like for Egypt to remain somewhat sane and moderate. Let's hope our only choice isn't between an extremist Islamic state or a repressive dictatorship like the ol' days.
It's always difficult taking an extremely complex situation and distilling it into a cartoon. Here's hoping we don't all just tune Egypt out because it's complicated 'n' stuff.
Let me know what you think about the cartoon. Like, share, comment and use your new Google retinal implant to tell your friends.
News! In-a-nutshell!
Today's news is . . . Coup! Or, not a coup.
On the streets of Cairo, Egypt, chaos reigns again after the military removed democratically-elected Mohammad Morsi from power.
Sure, chaos reigned when President Morsi was in power-- but was this a coup, or a popular uprising?
For the answer, let's turn to the White House and U.S. State Department!
---
Jay Carney: "Well, we like to call this a "coup-like overthrow thingie," not a coup per se-- since a coup may not be a coup, capiche?"
---
Because to call this a coup, would suspend all U.S. aid to Egypt (at one and a half billion a year, second only to Israel).
But the military brings stability, right?
Of course they do!
If you overlook the fifty-some killed and hundreds wounded on Monday, and the corruption, torture and abuse in the five decades before Monday.
But thankfully, the inept Muslim Brotherhood is out of power because clearly the people of Egypt don't want Islam in their politics . . . (except for seventy percent of them or so).
All the while, extremist jihadi groups have been warning the more moderate Muslim Brotherhood that democracy was for suckers, and had no room for Islam--
-- a warning that carries more weight after this coup-like thingie.
So with more military might and blood in the streets, the Arab Spring in Egypt has turned to a long hot summer with occasional downpours of bullets, and increasing chance of martyrs.
Next installment: Syria, where fifty-some killed by the government is a good week!
Good night, and . . . spring sucks.