Noam Chomsky on Egypt’s Coup

Below is a short email interview I conducted with Noam Chomsky regarding the coup in Egypt.

Q. Are you pleased or upset by the events in Egypt over the last month or so?

 A. Upset

How have these events changed the outlook for Egyptian democracy and the Arab Spring generally?

A setback, in my opinion, though many of the gains remain.

How would you characterise the relationship between the US, Israeli and Egyptian military/intelligence communities?

As far as I know, nothing significant has changed.  The US provides Egypt with substantial military aid, in the hope and expectation of having influence over its actions.  We have no detailed information about intelligence relations but they are doubtless close.  The Israel-Egypt security arrangements seem not to have changed materially.

How would you compare this to the relationship between the Muslim Brotherhood and any allies they have in Washington?

The Obama administration was mildly supportive of the MB government, which maintained the neoliberal programs that the US favors and the existing security arrangements, but the MB does not have close allies in Washington.

Do you see the events as a coup?

Yes

What actions specifically, if any, do you think Mohammad Morsi or the brotherhood took which justify the intervention by the military?

There have been “bills of particulars” offered by June 30^th supporters, of varying credibility in my opinion. But I’ve seen nothing to justify calling in the military to overthrow the elected government, however flawed the elections or objectionable the post-election policies, and I expect that the faith now often expressed in the benign intentions of the military will prove severely misplaced.

Egypt: A Terrible Old Joke

I have been reminded recently of an awful joke about Egyptians that I cannot help but share.

It’s back in the days of Mubarak, and the US is worried about looking bad funding a dictatorship, so they tell Mubarak he needs to show everyone how tolerant he is of dissent. “But how?” he asks.

“Simple”, the envoy informs him,”just give some ground to a protest movement”.

“But there are no protest movements in Egypt!”, complains Mubarak.

“Well you’ll have to find a way to create one,” says the envoy with the finality of empire.

Mubarak and his aids decide, once the envoy has left, to put a toll on every bridge across the Nile, a pound every time people travel from East to West.  Nothing happens. So they raise the toll to 2 pounds, and charge it going both ways. Still nothing.

“Right,” says Mubarak “enough of this, we’ll put a soldier on every bridge, and as well as paying the toll, you have to get fucked in the arse by him before you can cross. Surely that will get them protesting.”

The next day, sure enough, a crowd forms outside the palace, demanding attention. Mubarak asks for a delegation to be sent in. They arrive, major secular leaders, Azhar Sheikhs and Coptic priests amongst them.

They are ushered in and take their seats before Mubarak’s desk. “Well?” he says,”What’s the problem”

The delegations spokesperson, in this version an established expert on nuclear diplomacy, speaks firmly, with all the conviction of a true Egyptian liberal:

“We demand more soldiers on the bridges. The traffic is moving too slowly.”