--- ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) # Egypt: Should We Cheer the People or Weep for Democracy? by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Jul 5, 2013 6:45 PM UTC  Fireworks light the sky opponents of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi celebrate in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, July 3, 2013\. A statement on the Egyptian president's office's Twitter account has quoted Mohammed Morsi as calling military measures "a full coup." The denouncement was posted shortly after the Egyptian military announced it was ousting Morsi, who was Egypt's first freely elected leader but drew ire with his Islamist leanings. The military says it has replaced him with the chief justice of the Supreme constitutional Court, called for early presidential election and suspended the Islamist-backed constitution.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil) Fireworks light the sky opponents of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi celebrate in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, July 3, 2013\. A statement on the Egyptian president's office's Twitter account has quoted Mohammed Morsi as calling military measures "a full coup." The denouncement was posted shortly after the Egyptian military announced it was ousting Morsi, who was Egypt's first freely elected leader but drew ire with his Islamist leanings. The military says it has replaced him with the chief justice of the Supreme constitutional Court, called for early presidential election and suspended the Islamist-backed constitution.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil)AP by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Jul 5, 2013 6:45 PM UTC As you know, the Egyptian military has [taken](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/world/middleeast/egypt.html?hp) President [Mohamed Morsi](http://topics.time.com/mohamed-morsi/) into custody, suspended the constitution, and installed an interim government. The army says it has taken these steps in support of the will of the people, and that does appear to be largely true. Still, Morsi and his outraged [Muslim Brotherhood](http://topics.time.com/muslim-brotherhood/) allies are defining these events as nothing less than a military coup and a repudiation of the democratic election that was the culmination of the ouster two years ago of [Hosni Mubarak](http://topics.time.com/hosni-mubarak/). On both these points they are certainly right. Some Americans are understandably queasy about the slap upside the head that democracy took earlier this week. And there are certainly [ample reasons](http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/four-reasons-why-israel-may-miss-morsi-after-all.premium-1.533603) to doubt that the collapse of Morsi’s rule warrants unalloyed joy. But let’s not lurch into Jimmy Carteresque “election = good” reductionism here. To do so is to deny reality. **(MORE**:[ More Protests and Gunfire Following Morsi’s Ousting](http://world.time.com/2013/07/05/the-muslim-brotherhoods-outrage-protests-and-gunfire-follow-morsis-ousting/)) It is supremely disingenous for Morsi, or anyone explicitly or implicitly on his side, to lament the injury to democracy here, since he and his cohort ruled with “near-total disregard for anything other than consolidating their own power” ([Daniel Pipes](http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/07/03/daniel-pipes-morsis-departure-leaves-legacy-of-danger/)). They aspired throughout their brief tenure to the eventual, and permanent, installation of sharia law and the enshrinement of a “vibrant radical utopian movement” (again Pipes’s phrase). The ultimate success of that movement — the culmination of the Brotherhood’s vision — would have entailed the crushing into dust of any trace of liberal democracy and the dragging back into medieval ignominy of a country, a people, and possibly an entire region. So don’t cry for democracy. It’ll be just fine, thank you, and it will thrive in Egypt when Egypt is ready for it. For the time being, as Jonathan Spyer has explained [again](http://www.amazon.com/The-Transforming-Fire-Israel-Islamist-Conflict/dp/1441166637) and [again](http://jonathanspyer.com/2013/07/03/power-and-the-arab-revolutions-some-thoughts-on-the-latest-events-in-egypt/), there are two and only two effective forces for change in this neck of the woods: Islamism and the military: --- > “” --- But what about the massive demonstrations, you ask? Don’t the people hunger to breathe free? [Spyer](http://jonathanspyer.com/2013/07/03/power-and-the-arab-revolutions-some-thoughts-on-the-latest-events-in-egypt/): --- > “” --- It is impossible to predict which way Egypt will now go. (Some sound thinkers fear it will go in a [very ugly direction](http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/136795/lee-smith-egypt-morsi) indeed.) Daniel Pipes, who is “delighted” by Morsi’s overthrow, nevertheless is deeply [concerned](http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/07/03/daniel-pipes-morsis-departure-leaves-legacy-of-danger/): --- > “” --- There’s plenty to worry about in Egypt. The sanctity of the democratic process is important, yes. But there’s an awful lot to be solved before it can rightfully be anyone’s primary concern. _Judith Levy graduated from Duke with degrees in English and History and holds a master’s in International Relations from Oxford. She was the Soref Research Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy,_ _a managing editor for equity research at ABN Amro in New York, and the author of Wall Street-based mystery novel,_ [_A Falling Knife_](http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Knife-Evan-Adair-Mystery/dp/0983985103/ref=sr%5F1%5F1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325427050&sr=8-1)_. The views expressed are solely her own._ _This article was published in partnership with_ [_Ricochet_](http://ricochet.com/About-Us)_, a site that provides right-of-center podcasts, content and conversation for conservatives and libertarians._ Egypt: Should We Cheer the People or Weep for Democracy? ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7131936/egypt-should-we-cheer-the-people-or-weep-for-democracy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7131936/egypt-should-we-cheer-the-people-or-weep-for-democracy/"},"headline":"Egypt: Should We Cheer the People or Weep for Democracy?","datePublished":"2013-07-05T18:45:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-16T09:15:31.564Z","description":"As you know, the Egyptian military has taken President Mohamed Morsi into custody, suspended the constitution, and installed an interim government. 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