William Dobson: Egypt Has Not Had a Coup, Merely a Return to the 1950s
The writer is the politics and foreign affairs editor at Slate and is author of The Dictator’s Learning Curve: Inside the Global Battle for Democracy.
In the past week, Egyptians have watched a stunning series of power grabs by its men in uniform. First, the military announced the return of de facto martial law. Then, Egypt’s high court, filled with Mubarak-era appointees, dissolved the parliament, erasing the country’s first freely elected body in decades.
But the military’s boldest move came after voting closed in Sunday’s presidential election. The generals issued an interim constitution granting themselves vast authority while stripping the presidency of significant powers. Just as Egyptians believed their country would be returned to civilian control, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces made a bid to cement its position. A chorus of critics, civil society leaders, opposition politicians and members of the Muslim Brotherhood joined to decry these moves, declaring them to be nothing short of a military coup.
But that is not quite right. For it to be a coup, the military would have needed to seize power from someone else. That is not what happened. The Egyptian military has always been in charge...