On June 30, 2013, two years after the first Egyptian revolution had ousted long-time President Hosni Mubarak, the protesters returned to Tahrir Square. This time they called for the resignation of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected president and first civilian president.
On July 1, 2013, after Morsi rejected these calls and following clashes between government and opposition supporters, the military delivered an ultimatum to Morsi, saying that he must satisfy the public’s demands within two days and reach an agreement with opposition groups in order to resolve Egypt’s political crisis, or else the military would execute its own solution.
On July 3, 2013, following continued protests and Morsi’s refusal to accept the ultimatum — claiming he was Egypt’s legitimate leader – a military coup began. The general commander of the armed forces, Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, announced that Morsi was no longer president and that the army was taking control of Egypt.
This latest revolution raises important issues that are worth discussing, such as its effect on the Arab world and on Egyptian-American relations. But a very interesting question that needs to be addressed is: Why, in contrast to the 2011 revolution, did the army take a position so quickly? The answer to this question might help to predict what kind of president we can expect to see after the next elections will be held – will it be a civilian or a former military man?
