US finally backs the Cairo rulers as Morsi faces trial

The United States has finally expressed its support for the interim rulers in Egypt as Secretary of State John F. Kerry told the military there that they were in the right track. The Obama administration appears to have taken long time in deciding its stance on the Cairo rulers, who toppled the first elected president of the country Mohammed Morsi and then crushed protests, killing more than a thousand people who sought to defy the development. Morsi is now facing trial for "inciting" people.

Though a facade of a government is there, the current regime in Egypt is effectively led by army chief General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.  It is General Sisi who is calling the shots.

Earlier, soon after the toppling of the Morsi government on July 03, 2013, United States president Barack Obama toughened his position on Egypt following deadly clashes in that country between the security forces and the supporters of the deposed president. The Obama administration came under increasing criticisms for its policy towards Cairo government. The president responded strongly to the Egyptian interim government by canceling the joint military exercise and stressed for reconciliation as Egypt was thought be moving dangerously on the "wrong direction". But the leading opposition figures and influential media in the USA questioned the decision of the president for not suspending the American aid to Egypt, bulk of which is meant for the military of that country. The administration faced criticisms since the military toppled the first elected president of Egypt and installed an interim government there. Washington criticised the toppling of the democratically elected government, but woefully stopped short of calling it a "military coup" since the American law requires stopping of aid to any country where the army calls the shots by disregarding the elected authorities. The cancellation of the joint military exercises, scheduled in Sinai in Egypt at that time, came as a stern measure against the Egyptian generals, who launched a bloody crackdown in Cairo and elsewhere in Egypt. But it is also pointed out by the critics and veterans of the foreign affairs that by not suspending the annual $1.6-billion assistance to Egypt following the military take-over, the United States has not acted in conformity with its own laws. However, the administration defends the decision as it says that the army action in Egypt by toppling the elected president was not exactly a "military coup". But this position of the president was questioned again after the deadly clashes in Egypt which claimed several hundred lives and left many more injured.

The killings in Egypt drew condemnation from all sides, even though many hardly shed any tear for the Islamist government that ruled for just one year of its five-year term. The agenda of the Morsi government in running the nation during the period was seen by many in the West as not conforming to the wishes of the most segments of the people. It was seen as seeking to implement its Islamic agenda. Nevertheless, few really openly endorsed the sacking of the elected government by the military.

 Subsequent developments like incarceration of the deposed president and rounding up of his supporters and, above all, the brutal crackdown have not been taken kindly by the democratic world despite reservations by many about the style of functioning of the Morsi government. They opined that getting rid of an elected government by sheer force is a negation of democracy.

The latest situation in Egypt is marked by unremitting clashes between the law-enforcement agencies and the protestors who are still seeking to keep the pot boiling defying government repression. It is against this backdrop Kerry visited Cairo and gave a broad "Green Singal" to the Egyptian military.

However, the annual $1.6-billion American aid, most of which goes to the Egyptian military, remains as a controversial element in the US policy towards Cairo following the dismissal of the democratic government there. President Obama earlier said that the Morsi government was not "inclusive", meaning

 that it was not working for all segments of the people. The assistance was not suspended though there were reports that part of the aid could be suspended. This showed that the Obama administration was not able to formulate a firm policy towards Egypt. Now it has come closer to supporting the interim regime.

 Senator John MacCain, a former Republican presidential candidate, demanded that President Obama must cut off the aid to Egypt and follow the law of the land. Obama responded by saying that he understands the "complexity" of the Egyptian situation. But the bottom line is that there is clearly an aberration of the American policy in this regard and sections of media are also highlighting the US position regarding the policy towards the interim army-backed government in Egypt. It is plausible that the Obama administration may be considering the close ties that the US maintains with the Egyptian army for long and the overall ties that Washington has with its closest Middle East ally Israel. In any case, Morsi's Islamist government was not seen by the US as an "ally" as such even though it was an elected authority and that too first time in Egypt's history.

Evidently, all these factors might have weighed in Obama administration's policy towards Cairo. As Morsi faces trial, Egypt is becoming tense once again. All eyes are now focused on the trial. As Morsi was produced in the court on Monday (November 04), he claimed that he was the president of the country and the court had no jurisdiction to try him. Morsi's supporters are demanding revival of the Morsi government, which has hardly any possibility.

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