Arab Spring, Round 2

[jimmy olsen]

Looks like a civil war is definitely brewing


http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/03/19261466-egypts-president-top-general-ready-to-die-as-power-struggle-enters-final-hours?lite

Egypt's president, top general ready to die as power struggle enters 'final hours

By Charlene Gubash and Ian Johnston, NBC News

CAIRO -- Egypt's president and its top general both said they were ready to die Wednesday as the struggle for power in the country neared its climax amid fears of civil war.

The military gave President Mohammed Morsi until around 5 p.m. local time Wednesday (11 a.m. ET) to meet the demands of protesters calling for his ouster. Monday's 48-hour ultimatum has been widely interpreted as a call for the Islamist to quit and some of Morsi's supporters have denounced it as a "military coup."

A senior member of a hardline Islamist party allied to Morsi told Reuters Wednesday that they were trying to broker a "peaceful, constitutional transfer" of power that would avoid bloodshed and a coup.
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"We find ourselves faced with the necessity of convincing the president to accept a referendum on early presidential elections," Tarek al-Zumar, of ex-armed group Gamaa Islamiya, said in a telephone interview. "This is what we hope will be reached in the next few hours."

At least 16 people were killed and about 200 injured in clashes with security forces at Cairo University overnight, the Ministry of Health said.

Millions have taken to the streets in recent days with opposition protesters seeking Morsi's ouster at times clashing with supporters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and security forces. At least 16 were killed and hundreds were injured during massive weekend demonstrations marking one year since Morsi's election.

"I am prepared to sacrifice my blood for the sake of the security and stability of this homeland," Morsi said in a 45-minute speech that ran past midnight local time into Wednesday.

The army responded early Wednesday with a Facebook post titled "The Final Hours."

The post on the official Facebook page of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), headed by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, read: "The Commander of the Armed Forces said that it is an 'honor' for us to die rather than for the Egyptian people to be threatened or terrorized. We swear to God to sacrifice with our blood for Egypt and its people against any terrorist, extremist, or ignoramus ...  Long live Egypt and its proud people."

Protest movement Tamarod called for its supporters to rally at the headquarters of the Republican Guard - where Morsi is believed to be staying - at 4 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET), just ahead of the deadline.

The military said Monday that it would impose its own "road map" for the future if Morsi does not meet the protesters' demands by Wednesday.

The demonstrators insist Morsi must call fresh elections and stand down to allow a temporary government to take over.

The anti-government protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square have feted the army for stepping in, while President Barack Obama and the United Nations have urged Morsi to listen to Egypt's people.

In Wednesday's speech, Morsi accused loyalists of his predecessor Hosni Mubarak – "remnants of the old regime" - of fighting against democracy and challenging his leadership through the current wave of protests.

His democratic election and the legitimacy it enshrined were the main themes of a speech, during which Morsi's tone often grew loud and passionate.

In his address, he also asked Egyptians not to confront the military or use violence against its forces, the police or the interior ministry.

Earlier in the day, Morsi demanded that the armed forces withdraw their ultimatum, saying he would not be dictated to.

"President Mohammed Morsi asserts his grasp on constitutional legitimacy and rejects any attempt to deviate from it, and calls on the armed forces to withdraw their warning and refuses to be dictated to internally or externally," a tweet from the Egyptian presidency account said, according to Reuters.
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The Brotherhood's political wing called Tuesday for mass counter-demonstrations to "defend constitutional legitimacy and express their refusal of any coup."

But the biggest pro-Morsi rally in a Cairo suburb appeared to attract around 100,000 supporters, Reuters journalists said.

Senior Brotherhood leader Mohamed El-Beltagy told the crowd: "We give our lives in sacrifice for this great legitimacy. ... We swear by almighty God to protect the will of these people and to not let it go, even if in doing this we sacrifice our souls."

The crisis could have a significant effect on the global economy.

The benchmark price of crude oil for delivery in August rose by $2.22 to $101.82 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest since early May last year, The Associated Press reported.

Egypt is not an oil producer but its control of the Suez Canal — one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, which links the Mediterranean with the Red Sea — gives it a crucial role in maintaining global energy supplies.

[Viking]

[Ed Anger]

Since the deadline is 5pm my time, I have demanded snacks be on hand for my Egypt TV watching.

Also, Tool's Vicarious will be playing in the background.

[Valmy]

One-way only?

[Siege]

To preserve the legacy of the Arab Spring, some general needs to take charge of the situation, marginalize Muslim Brotherhood, and bring some order for the next few decades.

I really dislike this most annoying characteristic of late, where US foreign policy no longer supports military strongmen in really goofy uniforms anymore.  It worked so well for so long.

Democracy ain't for everybody, goddammit.  And it's not always in our best interests for certain nations to have it.   Would've thought people figured that out with Iraq already.

Whoa, CdM posting something that makes sense? Impossible!
What have you done with CdM, you evil alien?

[CountDeMoney]

Since the deadline is 5pm my time, I have demanded snacks be on hand for my Egypt TV watching.

Also, Tool's Vicarious will be playing in the background.

You're going to be disappointed.  Don't think this is going to go down like Tiananmen did on Monday Night Crackdown.

[CountDeMoney]

An obvious cynical ploy from the Obama Administration to affect the 2014 elections.

U.S. Marines in Europe Getting Ready for Egyptian Chaos

Some of the 500 Marines belonging to the Corps' Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response Team have been moved from Moron, Spain to Sigonella, Italy to be closer to Egypt should things go very wrong there, Stars and Stripes reports this morning.

"The reason we are here is to provide a scalable force to respond to unexpected crisis," Maj. Zane Crawford, the task force's operations officer, said in a USMC release in May. "We can rapidly deploy to support missions, such as embassy reinforcement, tactical recovery of aircraft, and personnel and noncombatant evacuation operations."

Citing unnamed sources, CNN reported last week that the Marines have been told to be ready to be airborne in 60 minutes after deployment orders, but Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, wouldn't confirm, saying the military doesn't comment on specific readiness postures." 

The U.S. Embassy in Cairo has been closed since Sunday.

[Syt]

Moron, Spain

[CountDeMoney]

You know, some poor bastard in Cairo's probably trying to get his driver's license renewed, and he can't get it done with all this bullshit going on.

[Tamas]

Isn't the deadline 5PM Egyptian time, ie. just passed? Tuning in to CNN.

[Admiral Yi]

An obvious cynical ploy from the Obama Administration to affect the 2014 elections.

Has nothing to do with Benghazigate.

[Viking]

You know, some poor bastard in Cairo's probably trying to get his driver's license renewed, and he can't get it done with all this bullshit going on.

Damnit, all the police are down at Tahrir and not a single one here at the EgyptoDMV to take my bribe to get the license renewed....

[CountDeMoney]

An obvious cynical ploy from the Obama Administration to affect the 2014 elections.

Has nothing to do with Benghazigate.

Other than preventing another Benghazigate for the GOP to chase their tails with for the next year.

[DGuller]

Are we there yet?

[Razgovory]

An obvious cynical ploy from the Obama Administration to affect the 2014 elections.

Has nothing to do with Benghazigate.

Other than preventing another Benghazigate for the GOP to chase their tails with for the next year.

They'll create another scandal to keep the base rabid when they need it.

"When was the President made aware that the flag in the basement of the state department had only 48 stars?  Was sort of corruption is this?  Did someone in the Administration steal those stars?  Did you think you could get away with it?  Or is it simply incompetence, can the people of the state Department not count?  If I were President you'd all be out of job"  -Rand Paul in the 2014 'Flaggate hearings'.