Military Autonomy Quotes
SCAF: Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. This quotation illustrates how difficult it is to establish a real democracy in Egypt in particular and most Middle Eastern countries in general. Essentially, the General wants to be sure that there is no check or control on the military in the new dupposedly democratic system. In a democracy, there are only two elements that the people have selected and who represent them—the President and the Parliament. If neither of these can command and control the military, then the people have no control over the military which then becomes a de facto aristocracy that has a veto on everything in the country. Making the situation more difficult is the fact that in Egypt (as in many non democratic nations) the military owns and controls a very large segment of businesses throughout the economy—more than any corporation or wealthy family. The civilian control of the military—one of the most fundamental aspects of the United States and every other true democracy—will not likely be possible in Egypt in the next decade or so.
