With the surprising easy removal of Egypt’s top brass, Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Morsi tapped into discontent among the military’s younger officers who apparently grew frustrated with the aging generals. Significantly, the move reflects a recognition among the new generation that the military must back out of trying to rule directly and cede room for the first civilian president.
Whether this signals a decline in the political and economic influence of the military, which has been the source of Egypt’s rulers for the last six decades, or is a new power-sharing arrangement with the new Islamist civilian-led administration, remains to be seen.
The new defense minister, 57-year-old Lt. Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, is 20 years younger than his sidelined predecessor and was the youngest member of the council of generals who ruled Egypt for 17 months from the fall of Hosni Mubarak until Morsi’s inauguration in late June.
The inside maneuvering that led to this week’s removal of the man who led the military for 20 years, Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi and his chief of staff, remain obscure. The changes have been publicly depicted as a consensus agreement between the generals and Morsi.
But there are signs it may have been in effect a palace coup by Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood figure who is eager to assert his authority, and younger officers who wanted a change from the septuagenarian leadership. Those younger officers viewed the older generals as too hide-bound and believed they hurt the military by focusing on wielding political power, opening the much-revered institution to scathing criticism and even calls for prosecution.
The opportunity for them to act came with an Aug. 5 attack by militants that killed 16 soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula near the border with Israel and Gaza, the worst death toll for the military in decades. The attack exposed the military to criticism unseen since its defeat by Israel in the 1967 war, in which Israel occupied Sinai, Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Syria’s Golan Heights.
Some politicians with inside knowledge of both the military and the Brotherhood said el-Sissi himself was critical of the top brass’ handling of intelligence preceding the attack and that he made his criticisms known to Morsi — possibly providing the chance to move. The politicians spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of military issues.
“I think there was a pre-agreement between el-Sissi and Morsi,” said Hossam Sweilam, a retired Egyptian army general. He said the decision was a surprise to the ruling generals and that they found themselves cornered. “Tantawi and the council couldn’t object because it would have meant a civil war, a military and political confrontation with the Brotherhood and their militias.”
Immediately after the Sinai attack, Morsi sacked the head of general intelligence and the leaders of the Republican Guard and arranged the removal of the military police chief. Then on Sunday, the 78-year-old Tantawi was swept away, as was his chief of staff Sami Anan. The commanders of all the branches of the armed forces were also replaced.
Washingtonpost
