There is no doubt now that the overthrow of Mohammad Morsi by the Egyptian military in early July was far from a popular revolution. At best, the military was simply exploiting popular discontent at Morsi's abysmal record on social and economic issues. Now in power, the military has done nothing to better the economic or social conditions in Egypt, instead using its perch in government to carry out the massacre of Muslim Brotherhood members. Just since Wednesday, over 500 Islamists have been killed in a brutal crackdown on the right of assembly.
The international left probably should have seen this coming. Although at the time of Morsi's ouster, this blog expressed a lack of confidence in the Egyptian military, we should have emphasized the need for Egypt to respect freedom of assembly for the Muslim Brotherhood's rank-and-file (nevertheless, there have been reports of Muslim Brotherhood members terrorizing Coptic Christian communities, something which should be condemned in the strongest possible terms by progressives). Despite holding conservative views, like any mass organization, the vast majority of those in the Brotherhood are also members of the working class.
As it stands, all Egyptian workers are stuck between a swinging pendulum of power. While Morsi was in office, the pendulum swung to the Islamists. Now it has swung decisively to the military.
To avoid further humanitarian disaster, and to take back the Egyptian revolution from the hands of the military, the protest movement must trust no outside forces: not the military and not the Brotherhood. Instead, it must rely on and support all self-activity of the working and impoverished classes. It is this self-activity which will inevitably come into conflict with the ruling regime, posing the strongest threat to it.
While the situation is undeniably dark now, workers and the oppressed still have the power to turn the Egyptian status quo on its head. And in so doing, they have the power to fulfill the original demands of the revolution: Bread, Freedom, Social Justice, & Human Dignity.
All Power to the People!
-Schuyler Kempton
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| Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood are facing a brutal crackdown in Egypt |
The international left probably should have seen this coming. Although at the time of Morsi's ouster, this blog expressed a lack of confidence in the Egyptian military, we should have emphasized the need for Egypt to respect freedom of assembly for the Muslim Brotherhood's rank-and-file (nevertheless, there have been reports of Muslim Brotherhood members terrorizing Coptic Christian communities, something which should be condemned in the strongest possible terms by progressives). Despite holding conservative views, like any mass organization, the vast majority of those in the Brotherhood are also members of the working class.
As it stands, all Egyptian workers are stuck between a swinging pendulum of power. While Morsi was in office, the pendulum swung to the Islamists. Now it has swung decisively to the military.
To avoid further humanitarian disaster, and to take back the Egyptian revolution from the hands of the military, the protest movement must trust no outside forces: not the military and not the Brotherhood. Instead, it must rely on and support all self-activity of the working and impoverished classes. It is this self-activity which will inevitably come into conflict with the ruling regime, posing the strongest threat to it.
While the situation is undeniably dark now, workers and the oppressed still have the power to turn the Egyptian status quo on its head. And in so doing, they have the power to fulfill the original demands of the revolution: Bread, Freedom, Social Justice, & Human Dignity.
All Power to the People!
-Schuyler Kempton
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