The State is Violence

Egypt’s Military Masters

By Andrew Rosenthal,

Five days of violent clashes between Egyptian soldiers and protesters have produced appalling images of cruelty and abuse — including a video showing soldiers stripping the abaya off a woman on the ground to reveal her blue bra as one raises a boot to stomp on her.

In February, the army enhanced its standing by refusing to fire on demonstrators when President Hosni Mubarak was ousted. Now it is inspiring rage and threatening Egypt’s transition to democracy. On Tuesday, in an extraordinary display, thousands of women gathered in Tahrir Square in Cairo to express outrage over the army’s treatment of women and to protest against continued military rule.

The generals who form the ruling military council are proving that they will do whatever it takes — including killing protesters and detaining thousands — to protect their authority and control of lucrative chunks of the economy. They have repeatedly shown that they are determined to hold on to power even after a new Parliament — still in the process of being elected — is seated next year.

On Monday, Gen. Adel Emara of the ruling council denied that soldiers were responsible for any violence and claimed the protesters were engaged in a plot “to destroy the state.” Blaming protesters is unconvincing in the face of shocking images of the military’s conduct. If the military rulers were interested in justice, they would have started an independent investigation into all acts of violence, whether military or civilian.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke forcefully this week against the street attacks on women, noting, that “this systematic degradation of Egyptian women dishonors the revolution, disgraces the state and its uniform and is not worthy of a great people.”

The Obama administration needs to keep pressing the generals to move expeditiously to civilian rule. If the army continues to attack the Egyptian people, the administration will have no choice but to reduce its $2 billion in annual aid — two-thirds of it going to Egypt’s military — to show that it will not enable such behavior.

The army mishandled Egypt’s transition from the start, including refusing financial help from the International Monetary Fund for its deteriorating economy. But the Islamist parties that won big in the early rounds of parliamentary voting and the liberals that have done poorly in the voting also made mistakes. There are huge challenges ahead, including writing a constitution and coping with a looming and serious economic crisis exacerbated by the political turmoil. But the most pressing issue is ensuring that power moves from the army to elected civilian leaders.