Egypt and Possible War

The deadline for Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood to step down has come and gone.  The military set the deadline and they have now taken over state media.  Protesters have demanded Morsi resign and he has refused.

I fear that there may soon be violence, but hope it does not come to that.  It is true that Morsi was democratically elected and the people drafted a new constitution just 2 years ago.  He says because of that he will not step down and will defend the constitution.  The people say he has moved steadily toward the establishment of an Islamic state which they do not want.

I do not claim to know who will take over if Morsi is overthrown.  It appears the military just wants stability, but they may need to have a coup to attain that.  They have promised to give the people their voice. 

Just as in the US, I believe that ultimately the power should revert to the people and if they are unhappy they should draft a new constitution and have the government they want.  I realize the people are not monolithic and of one opinion, but there are many opinions.  Nevertheless they reject Morsi and Islamic rule.  The same protests have recently taken place in Turkey, where their leader was trying to impose and Islamic state.

Latest updates from Egypt:  From Reuters:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/03/us-egypt-protests-idUSBRE95Q0NO20130703

From The Hill:

http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/middle-east-north-africa/309025-defiant-morsi-says-hes-not-going-anywhere?utm_source=buffer&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=buffere8d61&utm_medium=twitter

From CNN:

www.cnn.com/2013/07/02/world/meast/egypt-protests/index.html

I was thinking about how momentous this all is.  In the US we are preparing to celebrate Independence Day tomorrow.  I know many here feel the Iraq war was a mistake, that we had no right to be there, and in the end what did we gain?  There is some truth in that argument, but I would argue that the Arab Spring was made possible by what happened in Iraq.  Seeing Saddam Hussein fall, realizing change was possible, gave made in the middle east hope that they could change their situation as well.

The fact that the people of Egypt andTurkey are rejecting Islamic states gives me further hope.  Many thought once the Muslim Brotherhood took over Egypt was destined to slip back into a totalitarian state.  It appears once people feel freedom it is not that easily taken away.

We will see what happens.