Newly elected President Mohammed Morsi (C) with Field Marshal Mohammed Tantawi, head of Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, and Egyptian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Sami Anan, attend a medal ceremony at a military base in Alexandria. (Reuters)
Egypt’s Real Ruler: Military Leader Tantawi -- Daniel Pipes And Cynthia Farahat, Washington Times
There’s still hope for the Gift of the Nile.
What does it mean that Mohammed Morsi is the president of Egypt? The American consensus is that Egypt has been lost. However, the election was not just symbolic, but illusory. Egypt’s future remains very much in play.
Mr. Morsi is not the most powerful politician in Egypt or the commander in chief. Arguably, he does not even run the Muslim Brotherhood. His job is undefined. The military could brush him aside. For the first time since 1954, Egypt’s president is a secondary figure, assigned the functionary role long associated with its prime ministers.
Mohamed Tantawi is the real ruler of Egypt. Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), field marshal and minister of defense, he serves not only as the commander in chief but also as effective head of all three of Egypt’s governmental branches. Mr. Tantawi is an autocrat with near-absolute powers.
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My Comment: I do not know if he has that much power. After all he could not stop the conviction and sentencing of his former boss Hosni Mubarak. But General Mohamed Tantawi and his colleagues do wield a lot of power, and how they will use it .... and how President-elect Morsi will respond to it .... will determine if Egypt enjoys stability in the next few years .... or another revolution.