STORY SUMMARY
By Ali Ezzatyar
The Daily Star
In February 2011, when the Egyptian military helped oust President Hosni Mubarak, it was natural to think of the applicability of the Turkish precedent to Egypt.
One of former President Mohammad Mursi’s goals was to take power out of the hands of the military, as the Turkish government appears to have done.
Regardless of one’s opinion on the recent dismissal of Mursi, Egypt’s military did not ultimately respect its promise to hand over power to a civilian leadership after a transition.
In Turkey, as in Egypt, popular discontent precipitated four military coup d’etats in less than 40 years, from 1960 to 1997 .
Similar to Egypt, the Turkish military switched from antagonist to protagonist depending on the economic situation and the popularity of the ruling party.
How could an all-powerful military have been sidelined by civilians in Turkey?
The popularity of the Brotherhood would have accelerated their ascent to power in key institutions, but Egypt’s institutions were far too weak to sustain themselves as a counterweight to the oldest and most powerful institution of them all.
So where does this leave democracy in Egypt today
Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Commentary/2013/Jul-19/224223-egypt-would-gain-from-the-turkish-experience.ashx#ixzz2ZZyHfRPQ
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)