Is It a Coup?

The ouster of Morsi in Egypt which began with massive demonstrations in Tahrir square, followed by the military arresting him along with some leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, has created a labeling crisis for the left and the left over Marxists.

They are busy carrying their labels, where is the bourgeoisie, where is the class line in order to avoid crossing them, can the Egypt upheavals even be called a revolution at all when the masses in Tahrir square cheer the military for the ouster of a democratically elected Morsi.  With each leftist sticking to his/her own favorite labels they find themselves all over the political landscape, some supporting the secularists in Tahrir square and some supporting the Muslim brotherhood.  Some are even saying this is too dirty and bloody, and they will wait it out for the next "real" revolution in Egypt.

Well, that is typical of them.  Real events always disturb their pre conceived notions and they cannot see the forest because of the trees.

What is clear is that the central problem of the Middle East is neither "imperialism", "bourgeoisie" or the military.  It is the archaic social relations resistant to the western influences that are holding back progress.  This has taken a political form under the guise of preserving Islam.  In Iran it is the Islamic Republic, in Egypt it is Muslim Brotherhood and in Turkey it is the Justice and Development Party,  each posing their own forms of obstacles in the region and the world.

In the case of Egypt, should one support the secularists of Tahrir square?  Yes, obviously one should.  Should one cheer for the military intervention the same as the crowd did in Tahrir square?  Yes, obviously one should.  Isn't this the same military who was persecuting any kind of anti Mubarak views in the past?  Yes and no.  Yes this military has roots in that past, but it also forced Mubarak out.  Could this military turn against the secularists?  It is possible but not very probable, but that is a bridge that the secularists have to cross when they get there, if they get there.

Was Morsi elected by the majority vote and what will happen to the democracy in Egypt?  He was elected by majority vote and Muslims again have proven that the majority vote for them is to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of the population and turn that vote to a one time vote.  In the context of the Middle East this Muslim political agenda is the most anti-democratic agenda possible and stopping Morsi in his tracks was the only democratic course that was possible.

There is a rough road ahead for the Egyptians to stabilize their new born freedoms.  Blood will be shed and the leftists in the West will have a heyday placating the web with those bloody pictures, some fabricated, with their ideological labels firmly affixed to them.  Fortunately, the Egyptian secularists are not paying much attention to it.

Oh, by the way, was it a coup by the military after all?  It does not matter, take your pick.