The Cable
The Cable goes inside the foreign policy machine, from Foggy Bottom to Turtle Bay, the White House to Embassy Row.

Egypt’s Military Suspends Constitution, as U.S. Shifts Away from Morsy

  The State Department insists it's not taking sides in Egypt's unrest. But minutes before Egyptian generals declared their takeover of what was Mohamed Morsy's government, the department's spokesperson strikingly criticized Morsy -- while treating the military with kid gloves. On Wednesday, the head of the Egyptian army Gen. Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi announced the removal ...

By , a staff writer and reporter at Foreign Policy from 2013-2017.
590734_1725580582.jpg
590734_1725580582.jpg
<> on July 3, 2013 in Cairo, Egypt.

 

 

The State Department insists it's not taking sides in Egypt's unrest. But minutes before Egyptian generals declared their takeover of what was Mohamed Morsy's government, the department's spokesperson strikingly criticized Morsy -- while treating the military with kid gloves.

On Wednesday, the head of the Egyptian army Gen. Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi announced the removal of Morsy from power and the suspension  of the constitution on live TV. In Cairo's Tahrir Square, anti-Morsy protesters errupted in cheers. 

But before the televised announcement, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki specifically called out Morsy for failing to address the demands of protesters in his speech last night, while refusing to criticize the Egyptian military's violent coup threat.

That's a shift in America's stance. Just a few weeks ago, U.S. diplomats did everything they could to avoid criticizing Morsy's rule -- and to play down the possibility that street protests could determine the shape of the government. Now: not so much.

"It's important for President Morsy to listen to the Egyptian people and take steps to engage with all sides," Psaki told reporters. ""Unfortunately ... He didn't do that in his speech last night."

When asked if she would condemn actions by Gen. al-Sisi, who pledged to overthrow Morsy's democratically elected regime "with our blood," she repeatedly refused to do so.

"We believe all sides need to take steps to talk with each other to engage with each other to lower the level of violence," she said. Double-checking, a reporter asked "you have not condemned the military's ultimatum to the president?"

"Correct," said Psaki.

If the goal is not alienating the incoming power structure, the U.S. may have succeded. Minutes after Psaki's breifing ended, al-Sisi temporarliy suspended the constitution. Which way Washington is leaning looms large as U.S. officials try to avoid alienating the ruling Muslim Brotherhood without betraying the aspirations of Egypt's liberal opposition, who could come out on top in the days and weeks to come. Already, the Obama administration has taken flack for repeatedly waving restrictions passed by Congress on aid to Egypt and failing to loudly criticize Morsy's repeated power grabs.

If the uneven criticism Psaki dished out at Wednesday's briefing is telling, it may be the first sign that the U.S. saw today's military coup as inevitable.

John Hudson was a staff writer and reporter at Foreign Policy from 2013-2017.

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.