An Egyptian court ruled on Thursday that it would not review the ruling military council’s moves to strip the presidency of some of its authorities, in a sign that the usurped powers by the junta will not be easily challenged.
The case is now likely to be referred to the Supreme Constitutional Court, every member of which was appointed by former President Hosni Mubarak and is likely to side with the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) and try to undercut the influence of the newly elected Muslim Brotherhood (MB).
Washington has decided to play both sides in Egypt, being supportive of both the SCAF and the MB and asking for “a managed transition” to democratic rule as long as the leadership defers to US power on central issues, like adhering to treaties with Israel and favoring American presence as opposed to Chinese or Russian.
US support for the democratic victors will turn on a dime if these demands are not respected, and talk of US support for new President Muhammad Morsi will subside, while support for the dictatorial SCAF – which remains strong to this day – will grow.