The people of Egypt continue their heroic struggle against usurping the declaration of their will during the first democratic ballot where candidate of Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Muhammad Morsi has been elected.
Dozens of million Egyptians take part in peaceful protests or other types of struggle for President Morsi redintegration who has been illegally removed from his post on July 3 as a result of a military coup. The protesters camps near the Rab’a al-Adawiyyah mosque and neat the Cairo University became the opposition centres. They were attacked of all others on July 27 during the dawn prayer by the Defence Intelligence Special Forces, which resulted to more than 200 death incidents among the Muslims, more than 4.000 wounded.
Upon that it’s very important to say that the Muslim Brotherhood which leads the national campaign use only non-violent methods of struggle which demonstrates their political wisdom and responsibility for the people of Egypt. It is clear for them that the junta is ready to shed the peaceful protesters’ blood for oppressing them, and for that reason the Brotherhood calls on their supporters to discipline and restraint. At the same time the masses are ready for self-sacrifice. Their motto is, “Martyrs don’t die, martyrs go to heaven”, and this motto vibrates on the squares of Cairo, Alexandria and other Egyptian cities.
It is evident today that the destiny of “Islamic Brand” as a whole in the Middle East depends on how the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt demonstrates their political maturity and ability to organize and lead the masses.
Rabid reactionaries are so frightened that are eager for any crimes against their own nation, drawing on the peaceful protesters. The Muslim Brotherhood leaders had a good reason to warn that the military were ready to destroy about 100.000 egyptians on August 3 to break the nation’s will for struggle.
Nathan J. Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, underlines: “signals the regime sends today are horrible”.
It was at this critical instant that the world heard the estimation of the above-mentioned events given by the US Secretary of State John F. Kerry in his television interview he gave during his visit to Pakistan on August 1.
After him it appears that forced suspending of the legally elected President Muhammad Morsi is nothing more than “restoration of democracy”! His another gem is that “the military was asked to intervene by millions and millions of people all of whom were afraid of descending to chaos, into violence”. The third revelation by Mr. Kerry is that “the military did not take over to the best of our judgement so far - so far - to run the country. There’s a civilian Government. In fact, they were restoring the democracy”.
He tried, however, to cover up his statements by a fig leaf when responding to the interviewer’s question: “ [restoring the democracy] By killing people on the roads?” — “Oh no, that’s not restoring democracy, and we are very, very concerned about that. Very concerned about that. And I’ve had direct conversation with President Mansour … as well as the other members of the Government … I’ve been in touch with all of the players there, so we have made it clear that is absolutely unacceptable, that cannot happen now, and you know, this situation’s going to be very confusive now and very difficult”.
What such interview tell us and what it means within the context of the US policy in the Middle East and their relation with Islamic World?
Of course there are sound arguments that the Washington tries to avoid acknowledging the evident in every way possible, that there had been a military coup in Egypt which resulted in forced suspending of the legally elected President of the country. Such definition means, under the US legislation, that the USA had to stop providing Egypt (namely Egyptian Army) with military assistance at the very same moment. This assistance is quite enormous in amount of $7.2 billion per year. This protection money is spent by the US to maintain Egypt, namely the Armed Forces of Egypt, within their influence and to guarantee the Camp David Accords, namely the security of Israel.
The analysts also note the US concern about the broad expansion of Arab Monarchies to Egypt, as they provided the new Government with financial assistance of $12 billion. For that reason the official Washington wants to to provide the continuing military aid to Egypt and maintain the control of the Armed Forces of Egypt and the country as a whole, the political analysts assume.
In our point of view, however, the reasons lie in another side mainly. The main reason is the Washington’s evident cooldown with the Muslim Brotherhood as a Pan-Arab public policy organisation.
The Barack Obama Administration reached for the two key goals in 2010 and then during the 2012 presidential run. First of all, they won the support of Muslim Brotherhood who put on weight within the Arab political scene, in Egypt first of all. This would allow the US to bond with Islamic World and reinforce within the Asian-Pacific region mainly. Anth then the second, they wanted to model a powerful alliance of the Muslim Brotherhood and relied sects and movements to make a moderate staunch ally within the Middle East.
The Washington strategists hope to keep the Muslim Brotherhood under their influence, but the Brotherhood gained political weight and became a powerful political force, they started enacting the political programme granting the Arabs’ and “the Arab Renaissance” interests, taking the Arab world need for returning to their roots. This means Muslim Brotherhood was in the forefront of “the Arab Renaissance” and started transforming the Arab society which would lead to a radical change of the situation in the Middle East in whole.
As a result, the Washington decided to somehow stop the Muslim Brotherhood or at least slow down their triumph in the very heart of the Arab world, namely Egypt.
There is nothing to add but all such plans to “tame” the Muslim Brotherhood are doomed, as the Brotherhood is the most powerful agent of the moderate Islam which stands for the interest of the most Arab population and the Arab nation as a whole.
Todays stroke won’t last long, moreover, such narrow-minded and short-sighted policy harms the US true national interest in the region, and more and more powerful American politicians start understanding that. For instance, the senior senator John McCain said during his visit to Egypt: "Reluctantly, I believe that we have to suspend aid until such time as there is a new constitution and a free and fair election. We can't -- Morsi was a terrible president," McCain said. "Their economy is in terrible shape thanks to their policies but the fact is the United States should not be supporting this coup and it's a tough call."
However, it is for the heroical nation of Egypt, who raise and felt their pride and responsibility for their Fatherland, to decide. In the complicated balance pattern of terror and despotism they close their ranks in the name of democracy, law and order for everybody.
Dr.Vyacheslav Shved, leading researcher of the Institute for World Economy and International Relations of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of Ukraine,
Director of the Dept. of Near East Affairs at Ukraine's National Institute for Strategic Studies,
Vice-President of the “Ukrainian Centre For Islamic Studies” NGO
