As Egypt’s first civilian president assumes his role, it’s
unclear how much political power the nation’s generals will
wield. All images courtesy of Maurice Chammah By Maurice Chammah
On Saturday, June 30, Egypt’s first civilian president Mohamed
Morsi stood tall among over twenty military leaders, his black
suit stark against the sea of khaki. A year before he was a
minor figure in Egypt and unknown abroad. The military base
where they were standing, known as Hike Step (or Hikesteb, as
Arabic has no ‘P’) was not well known either, due to the secrecy
of Egypt’s army. Pundits ignored the public spectacle, focusing
instead on whether Morsi would have any real power. Several
generals had recently said on television that they would
exercise “very limited” legislative authority, though just weeks
before they had been accused of orchestrating the dissolution of
the country’s legislature. The generals will also oversee the
budget for the time being, and likely control the military
budget long after. They might also