Nothing is working for Egypt’s military junta. They have dug themselves into a deep hole and can’t get out. Minister of Interior Muhammad Ibrahim is frustrated by his inability to quell the unrelenting torrent of protests across the country. Threats of lethal force have failed to deter tens of thousands from taking to the streets on the eve of the ‘trial’ of ousted president Mohamed Morsi. The dreadful conduct of the regime has not gone unnoticed abroad. Internationally acclaimed columnists from the New York Times and Washington Post in the US, to The Guardian and Financial Times in the UK, churn out an almost daily commentary on the strangulation of Egypt’s budding democracy, writes Dr Daud Abdullah in Middle East Monitor.
Soon after toppling the elected civilian president, minister of defence Gen. Abdul Fattah Al Sisi announced a road map to return the country to democracy. This catchphrase was obviously selected to create a veneer of authority and sense of direction. Like all the other road maps promoted in the region, this is also seen as a charade designed to cover up an agenda based on deception. Three months after the coup, Egypt’s military rulers are still struggling to win outside support for their action. In recent weeks they have embarked on a public relations blitz with a steady procession of delegations to western capitals. These missions are failing spectacularly, Dr Abdullah added.