A military coup in all but name: how Egypt's crisis unfolded

The army said it wasn’t a military coup. But when the Republican Guard occupied the television station and convoys of troops and armoured personnel carriers rolled down Cairo’s main boulevards, there could hardly be much doubt. - When Hosni Mubarak was forced out two-and-a-half years ago, the military played its part. But this was the army fulfilling the role that Arab generals carved out so well in the 1950s but many thought was a thing of the past. The deadline it set for President Mohammed Morsi to solve the country’s political crisis passed at 5pm and the nation held its breath. There was an atmosphere of excitement among the anti-Morsi throngs in Tahrir Square, of fatalism at the Muslim Brotherhood’s encampment near the presidential palace. Then the tan-coloured trucks poured over the Nile bridges and along the capital’s flyovers. There was near hysteria in the capital’s upmarket, anti-Brotherhood neighbourhoods, clashes in the outer suburbs, stronger Islamist territory. Finally, at 9pm, came the televised statement the nation had waited all day to hear. Gen Abdulfattah al-Sisi, whom Mr Morsi had himself appointed as defence minister a year ago and who was supposed to have Islamist sympathies, took to the stage.

Johannes Stern & Alex Lantier: Egyptian army coup topples Islamist president Mursi - The removal of the hated Mursi regime has evoked jubilation. However sincere and deeply felt this sentiment may be, the fact is that Mursi’s overthrow has placed the army, not the masses, in power. None of the essential demands that motivated the mass protests—for decent jobs, livable wages, adequate social services, and democratic rights—will be met by the military regime.

Stephen Lendman: Turmoil Rocks Egypt: Morsi's Out - Unconfirmed reports suggest Morsi's under house arrest. Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) gave him 48 hours to yield. Do so or step down, it said. The deadline came and passed. Reuters reported that SACF said it's "ready to die to defend Egypt's people against terrorists and fools." It did so in response to Morsi. It headlined "The Final Hours." It did so hours after Morsi rejected a power sharing ultimatum. It expired Wednesday morning. Reuters said Egyptian troops control state television. Shoukry Abu Amira heads it. He confirmed it. Armored vehicles patrol outside.

The Guardian: Mohamed Morsi ousted in Egypt's "second revolution" in two years
John Glaser: Morsi Or Not, the US Empire Has A Stranglehold on Egypt