While some may consider my comparison between Egypt and Nazi Germany to be a bit hyperbolic, I believe that it would be foolhardy to deny the sheer size and power of Egypt within the Middle-Eastern, North African and Mediterranean spheres. Many erroneously believe that the last time Egypt’s might was felt was three thousand years ago under the Pharaohs, but this massive and heavily-populated country has repeatedly ruled over large tracts of land and scores of people throughout history. Even in the last century Egypt has repeatedly proven its social, political and military strength. In the 1950s we had the Suez Crisis. In the ‘60s and ‘70s Egypt’s military was without equal in size and power throughout the Middle-East. It was only by a stroke of luck that Israel managed to cripple the Egyptian Air Force in a preemptive strike before the Six Day War. Had that one pivotal sneak attack gone awry, there is little doubt that the state of Israel would be a shadow of itself, if it existed at all,.
So while the days ahead will truly show what the Egyptian military will do with the power it has yet again wrested from the civilian leaders of the country, there is little doubt that the largely secular aspirations of Egypt’s top brass are a damn sight better than the subversive, self-serving Islamic demagoguery that, until a few days ago, passed for the elected leadership of that nation. We can only hope that Egypt’s citizens, bloodied but emboldened, take this chance to institute a truly democratic scheme that will ensure fairness and equality for everyone, regardless of religion or creed.
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Good article.