(en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL #239 - Egypt: Power trapped (fr, pt)

General al-Sisi, a former army chief and presidential candidate of the 26 and 27 May next, 
must grapple with the country's economic problems as with infighting in the circles of 
power. ---- Abdel Fattah al-Sisi seems to be a victim of its success. He who, in July, 
seemed to hold power and popularity "supernatural" supported by a ferocious media machine 
that consumes everything in its path, is now trapped in his post the strongest man in 
Egypt. It is ironic to see him drown in the same defects as those that toppled President: 
Empty and populist, measures to capture the actual and legal authority in Egypt (while 
having put Adli Mansour as malleable puppet the head of state), etc.. ---- Likewise, the 
socio-economic problems which it relied to bring down the government of the Muslim 
Brotherhood is not a solution: power cuts are back at the same rate at the time of the 
Muslim Brotherhood, the geopolitical crisis after the construction of the dam by Ethiopia 
Annahda1 ("renaissance") on the Nile is not resolution, the prices of necessities are 
rising, not to mention the crisis in the important area of the economy is tourism.

Crisis of the ruling class

Hesitation al-Sissi apply for the upcoming presidential elections is due only to refusal 
of the old guard of the army to see his child prodigy, who rose quickly through the ranks 
to take power. The current crisis in the power of al-Sissi is the crisis of the entire 
Egyptian ruling class, both civil and military, and internal conflict. Populist discourse 
of this ruling class, a sort of remake of the Nasser years, can not conceal the class war 
it waged against workers when they went on strike, with use of the army.

When al-Sissi asks the people to sacrifice on the altar of austerity, it replenishes the 
coffers of the terrible Ministry of the Interior. Adding to that the second kind of 
economic predator Egyptian military institution seems to take precedence over its 
"constitutional" activities and the army wants to take every corner of the economy by 
expanding its grip on public companies, which is not without its problems with capitalism 
"civil" and especially libertarian financial circles close to Mubarak, especially as they 
have contributed to finance and organize the coup of the army last June. Indeed, these 
circles want to regain their position before the revolution of January 2011, when they 
shared power with the army, and they do no intention of simply place the army deign their 
give.

Maybe the hollow nationalism tinged speech al-Sissi will illusion longer than the equally 
hollow and stained religiosity Morsi speech period, but al-Sissi will not be spared by a 
popular uprising, as he begins to say that he must sacrifice one or even two generations 
that Egypt can live in opulence. The people who rose up to say "Down with the power of the 
military" can not accept this contempt. One can easily imagine that this slogan still 
resound in the streets of Egypt against al-Sissi in turn.

Yasser Abdelkawy (Libertarian Socialist Movement, Egypt)

Translated from Arabic by Marouane Taharouri