Egypt president sacks defence minister

Egypt president sacks defence minister

www.aljazeera.com

Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's president, has dismissed the head of the armed forces and defence minister, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, according to the country's state news agency.

President Mohammed Morsi also appointed a senior judge, Mahmoud Mekki, as vice president.

Yasser Ali, the presidential spokesperson, said in a news conference aired on state TV on Sunday, that Morsi appointed a new defence minister, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

Tantawi headed the military council that ruled Egypt for 17 months after Hosni Mubarak stepped down in February 2011.

The decisions announced wi

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Wow, big power move from Egypt's newly elected government. It appears they will no longer tolerate the amount of power that the old military guard hold in Egypt.

Dismissing Tantawi, a 20 year old veteran, of the Mubarak era sends not only a message to the armed forces but the whole region, things are different in Egypt now.

Israel and the US will be alarmed by this and its impact on the Camp David accords. How will the Egyptian people react to such an assertive move? Will the army accept their apparent new position as subordinate to a civilian government of Islamists, who they had persecuted for decades?

www.aljazeera.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Originally posted by Peruvianmonk

Wow, big power move from Egypt's newly elected government. It appears they will no longer tolerate the amount of power that the old military guard hold in Egypt.

The Egyptian military ensured that Egypt's government stayed non-religious.

With the Muslim Brotherhood now elected, the Islamic fundamentalists now want to destroy the power of the military to stop Egypt from becoming an Islamic fundamentalist state.

You know one of the big arguments people made in defense of Egypt never turning on Israel and breaking the Peace treaties which have existed all these years was the military and the fact they were their own people, to some extent. At least enough not to take suicidal orders and do anything outright foolish while sitting on a powder keg.

Why doesn't the news that the Military is losing it's leadership to the Muslim Brotherhood reassure? Hmm... It looks like we aren't going to have that "buffer" of the Military holding status quo and moderating whatever extreme ideas may float up from Civilian leadership.

With the other stories coming in just the last few hours...I think I need to get out and top fuel tanks...cans....and some gaps I've left on my food shelves, figuring this wasn't coming for awhile yet. awww crap..this could be coming a lot sooner than even those on the more doomy predictions have said. This is one heck of a Saturday so far.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

With the other stories coming in just the last few hours...I think I need to get out and top fuel tanks...cans....and some gaps I've left on my food shelves, figuring this wasn't coming for awhile yet. awww crap..this could be coming a lot sooner than even those on the more doomy predictions have said. This is one heck of a Saturday so far

Ha ha hopefully not quite yet. Saturday?! Surely it is at least Sunday on every part of Earth now?

Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi, who led Egypt after Hosni Mubarak was ousted, retires as defence minster and Sami Anan steps down as chief of staff.

www.guardian.co.uk...

Sami Hafez Anan had a wikileaks file all for himself.

www.guardian.co.uk...

They saw the number two general on the council, Sami Enan, as more amenable to personal ties. In fact, Enan was in Washington when the Cairo protests erupted. That puts the 62-year-old Soviet-trained chief of staff, in the unusual position of being both Washington's and the Muslim Brotherhood's favourite general. The movement has described him as incorruptible and as one of its cleric put it: "He can be the future man of Egypt … I think he will be acceptable."

The Muslim Brotherhood, now in power, had a change of heart on Anan clearly. Could a coup of some sort have been in the offing? Or was the crisis in the Sinai and apparent incompetence of the army to deal with the recent attacks the opportunity for the MB to assert their place as the dominant force in the country?

Oh... I feel like an idiot.. I guess when I've been glued to this monitor since sometime early yesterday working, I entirely lost track of days. Ugh! Thanks for being kind about how you put that. I might have earned someone having a real good time with it. lol...

Anyway... I stand behind the rest of what I said. errr...even if I was a day in the past saying it. What is developing over there in Egypt and Syria, among others...I'm just getting downright nervous. Next we'll be hearing the Egyptians are moving more than planned in recent days for the 'terrorists' they say they want to hunt. I hope one has nothing to do with the other, given the Minister sounded like a level headed and proven commander. (hops off to consider some meaningful rest before more work in a few hours)

Maybe the most important aspect of this whole affair.

Morsi also cancelled a constitutional declaration aiming to limit presidential powers which the ruling army council issued in June as the election that brought him to power drew to a close.

www.haaretz.com...

This is all interlinked by the looks of things to really subordinate the military to the government. In theory this is a good thing, as all mlitaries should be subordinate to a democratically elected government (You too US!). The most important thing for the Egyptian populace is that all citizens are respected their equal rights protected in this new Egypt.

reply to post by Peruvianmonk


a weakened Egyptian military coupled with a strong Islamist led government simply means that Egypt has no ambitions in the region beyond its own borders.

I think the message being sent is that Egypt has no intentions of involving itself with the unsuccessful and clumsy anti-Israeli, anti-Jew clique; without regards to a peace treaty.

at present Israel is surrounded by shattered states that have no intentions of continuing the failed policies of their predecessors and will most likely focus on their own development.

the idea of the any military being subordinated to the government is atrocious.

the military is and should be for people, not the government.

reply to post by michaelbrux

a weakened Egyptian military coupled with a strong Islamist led government simply means that Egypt has no ambitions in the region beyond its own borders. I think the message being sent is that Egypt has no intentions of involving itself with the unsuccessful and clumsy anti-Israeli, anti-Jew clique; without regards to a peace treaty.

I disagree. The likes of Tantawi and Anan were veterans from Mubarak's regime which held assiduously to the Camp David accords and were constantly in contact with their Israeli counterparts and often meeting with their American ones as detailed in the wikileaks file I posted above.

These were symbols of the old order in Egypt, if anything this suggests a stronger stance in regards to Israel could be in the making, in particular on the siege of Gaza.

reply to post by Peruvianmonk


if they led the egyptian military like mubarak ran the government, what type of strength do you think their replacements will be capable of?

egypt is decades from being capable of any sustained activity beyond its own borders.

and their natural allies with regards to the idea of standing opposed to Israel have very serious problems of their own.

egypt abandoning the treaty of peace with Israel would be an empty gesture and cost more than it would pay.

i yearn for the day when people abandon the hope that war will one day soon rage relentlessly around the city of Jerusalem.

but its obvious that day is a long day off.

reply to post by michaelbrux

if they led the egyptian military like mubarak ran the government, what type of strength do you think their replacements will be capable of? egypt is decades from being capable of any sustained activity beyond its own borders.

Egypt have some military capability, mainly provided by the US, which can be taken away at the slightest hint of dissent to the US/Israeli hegemony in the region. I am more interested in what their relationship with the Palestinians will be from now on. The siege may well be lifted (fully) by the Egyptian government on the Gaza Strip, emboldening Hamas.

This civilian government will no longer be able to resist the "Arab street" in regards to any future inevitable onslaught by the Israelis on the Palestinians, they will have to take some kind of stand.

I was going to write something a bit different than this and simply point out that Egypt is no weakling. Then I pulled the numbers and lost my breath. My God... I had no idea the balance between the two had gotten THAT lopsided. I had thought the roughly equal aid to each was to keep relative parity.

That's only a fair match up if Israel is using battlefield tactical nukes.

Considering ...The Arabs have ALWAYS moved as a group against Israel in previous wars, there is no reason to think that changes now....but I started where Egypt has Israel outmanned by almost 4:1 and by the time I got to land weapons and coastal power.. Oh I give up. Pray for peace Israel and damn... did WE do THAT!?

Egypt Military Forces broken down by Class and Type

reply to post by Peruvianmonk


i'm not so much speaking on military power but the power of the military.

does experience count for anything anymore or is it just raw numbers that have meaning?

Egypt has fought no wars and to be honest its more of a religious society than militaristic...Israel is more militaristic than religious.

their senior staff is now retired and i don't feel such a move is a sign that Egypt is planning for a war. just the opposite to be honest. that in addition to the need for Security Council authorization to fight a war suggests that we'll all be old people before any real fighting would ever take place.

the Arab world may be cohesive but a war isn't going to start for all just because the Muslim Brotherhood doesn't like Israel or agree with the peace treaty that exists between the two countries.

do you think the MB wants the history to record that they unilaterally scraped a 30 peace with their nearest neighbor and launched an unprovoked sneak attack upon Israel without UN or Arab League support?

while I see attempts to spin the region into chaos, i don't see that these attempts are successful nor do I see that they ever will be. not in this lifetime.

those generals were probably sacked because of their connections to forces that would like to lead Egypt down that path...considering that there hasn't been reports of resistance from the troops they commanded probably means that their exit is welcome within the military and the government. but the story is young...so maybe later this week a story will appear talking about battles at egyptian military installations.

besides...this article suggests everything is roses between Egypt and Israel and that the middle east is becoming everything America has always wanted.

news.yahoo.com...

It's a fundamental difference in how we both see the world right now and what is happening in it. You see Egypt as a single, 100% and totally independent nation with no ongoing cooperation with other nations as they are re-forming their own internal structure.

I see a state in the forming Caliphate they've been dreaming of and honestly hoping for, for a very long time. Under other circumstances, I'd wish them the best and hope they did well. Under these circumstances, I think a war is nearly upon the world for the 3rd time in a hundred years. Maybe this one will settle differences well enough to satiate the need for death for at least a bit longer than it was after World War II.

We'll see... The events happening right now in Egypt and other nations all around them can't stay in the present state...it's all in flux, all over that region. If I'm right, that will become apparent soon enough..... In real terms, I hope you're right. It sure is a better future in the near-mid term that way.

reply to post by Peruvianmonk


US sponsors the Egyptians generals, if Morsi is truly independent and wants to create an independent Egypt then expect these generals who receive billions to be plucked out one by one.

This is just the beginning, how will US respond?

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


why so dramatic? the caliphate was only destroyed 90 years ago; that's hardly a long wait.

either way...the caliphate is an impossible dream, a fantasy really, and everyone knows it even if they don't want to admit it.

if it were possible, i'd be the first to admit it.

the existence of so-called Abrahamic religions are threatened at present...not really a good time to build a pseudo state based upon one, I think.

At least some Egyptians are supportive of these moves by Morsi.

Thousands of Egyptians celebrated the announcement on Sunday night in Cairo’s Tahrir Square that played home to the protests that ousted Mubarak. "The people support the president's decision," the crowd chanted. Others mocked Tantawi's departure, presented officially as a retirement. "Marshal, tell the truth, did Morsi fire you?" they said.

Al Jazeera’s Rawya Rageh, reporting from Cairo, said: "The country may be without a constitution, but there are constitutional declarations that specify the job description of the president, and it is perfectly within the realm of his authority to hire and fire senior government officials." "But I guess the talk about all of this is emanating from the fact that this was such a surprising and bold move," she said. "Morsi who did not want to defy the military initially, seized on the opportunity of the border attack to end the political career of one of the longest serving military men in the country.

www.aljazeera.com...

Really if you have been following what has been going on here this isn't unexpected. First the Egyptian Military held the reigns of power. They were also instrumental in removing the previous regime. The current President has to remove those people. Also the Egyptian military has been trying to set policy and keep legislative power. This cannot be allowed if they are to have a civilian government. Most of if not all the positional moves he has made make sense and look to be honestly inclusive.