The Paralyzed West

Western politicians are standing stone-faced at their microphones, expressing their horror and apologies about the outbreak of violence in Cairo. They are sending warnings and appeals and their word choice is getting sharper, but they are moving slowly with the imposition of consequences. Sure, France’s President Hollande has personally talked to the Egyptian ambassador, which is a strong diplomatic signal, but no convincing actions have followed his words.

Nevertheless, that means that the U.S. Department of State is assessing and reviewing the situation in Egypt. A military exercise with Egypt is expected to be cancelled, and aircraft deliveries are being delayed. Washington and the EU have tried unsuccessfully to communicate between military personnel, the transitional government and the Muslim Brotherhood. But wasn’t it U.S. Secretary of State Kerry who quasi-legitimized the military’s actions by calling the coup against President Morsi a “restoration of democracy”? It’s no wonder that they are assuming they have a license for their brutal actions.

General al-Sisi knows that the relationships between his country and Western nations are important because of the importance of the Suez Canal and Cairo’s stance regarding Israel. Precisely for those reasons, a strong signal would be necessary to signify that the transitional government has crossed a line and that it needs to do everything it can to break the cycle of violence, but the U.S. and Europe have, for the most part, stood by and watched Morsi without saying or doing anything. In addition, because of the above two reasons, the West will have little impact on what will happen in Egypt.