And our capital shall not be Cairo, but Jerusalem

[Imran Siddiqui]

Okay. Why should we care?

When they actually start declaring war, we can talk.

[Hauldren Collider]

Right, because it makes so much sense to wait until there are actually being shots fired to worry about something.

[kentonio]

I don't think that's really all that politicially astute. You've just taken over Egypt and you want to rule Egypt from Jerusalem? Egypt has quite a few of it's own problems, things that I don't see the MB addressing.

Seems to me it's just sabre-rattling, and bad sabre rattling at that. Plus you manage to piss off the Palestinians, and the Syrians, since the Syrians are certainly no friends to the Egyptians. I mean if Egypt wants to go full-on Jihadi it's going to royally piss off everyone invested in the status quo.

It's not been since whom? The Mamlukes? That Egypt has really pushed for something like this? That's a long time ago.

Can't believe I'm saying these words but.. I agree.

[DaShi]

I guess only Romney is allowed to use an Etch-a-sketch.

[giblets]

Right, because it makes so much sense to wait until there are actually being shots fired to worry about something.

You could at least wait until civilian control of the military is established in Egypt before you start panicking about the possibility of Egypt attacking a country that has defeated Egypt before.

[C0ckney]

these words are certainly inflammatory, but appear to be from a guy who was congratulating mursi on his victory during the celebrations of said victory. i don't think it's something to be taken seriously, or as a statement of intent. the muslim brotherhood has many more difficult problems to contend with going forward.

[Zevico]

I don't think that's really all that politicially astute. You've just taken over Egypt and you want to rule Egypt from Jerusalem?

First, they haven't taken over Egypt yet--they've simply achieved a substantial victory which they can use to harness against the military in the next step towards taking over. They acheived an even more substantial vicotry in the legislative elections. These elections, and the office of President, give the MB bargaining power with which to infiltrate and expand its control over the institutions of the Egyptian state.

Second, let's see this for what this is, an assertion of Islamist sovereignty over Jeurslaem and Israel generally.

Third, let's put down a list of the countries you say they're pissing off.

1. Hamas-based Gaza abandoned the Alawi-backed Syrian regime since the civil war there began and is now an Egyptian vassal state. Hamas may also have calculated that the Syrian MB will take over there--and with Obama's overt backing (or even if he withdrew it), that, or at any rate a prolonged civil war, are both distinct possibilities. Hamas is also the intellectual and ideological subsidiary of the MB, and they're backed by MB funds, people and power. Hamas has a separate power base in Gaza and are independent to that extent but there's really no way for it to extract itself from its relationship with the MB or punish it for these statements. Lastly, keep in mind that Gaza was a part of Egypt until 1967. The West Bank was part of Jordan until 1967. Palestinians may think of themselves as such to some extent, but historically and culturally they're far more influenced by outside Arab cultures. Put simply, there's little lost on the Hamas score.

2. Fatah-based West Bank. In terms of political legitimacy and viability, Fatah is dead in the water without the overt Israeli and Western support it receives now. It has no remaining ideology and little reason to survive other than patronage. Against a motivated ideological force in Islamist Hamas, this is not a good situation for it to be in. Fatah is already the MB's implacable enemy precisely because the MB is Hamas' patron. Picking a fight with Fatah, the least popular, least powerful governing force in the Middle East? How will it retaliate, exactly, in this war of words? Its own words mean nothing to the Arab public save for Fatah supporters. There's not many of those about, even in the West Bank. What does the MB lose here? Nothing.

3. Syria. Syria is in the middle of a civil war. ITs political legitimacy in the Arab world is non-existent. Picking a fight over a 'what if' scenario battleground with the MB over a theoretical assertion of sovereignty over what is now Israel? Not worth its time, effort or political capital. And the Syrians might be replaced by the Obama and Turkey-backed Syrian MB--or the civil war might continue for a while. As mentioned before, Hamas packed up ship and left their headquarters in Syria for Egypt once the Egyptian revolution and Syrian civil war took hold, so their patron is safe. What does the MB lose here? Nothing.

Now, this is simply an analysis of what the MB has to lose from a war of words. What are the gains? The Egyptian public needs an enemy to blame for its economic, political and social failures. Israel is one such enemy. Ideologically it is already the perfect target to project Egyptian dissatsifaction onto: the Egyptian regime has done this for decades. A major reason the regime breaking up now is because Egyptians think the Islamists will fix things by hanging adulterers, praying at mosque every Friday and killing more Jews, Israelis, Copts and Westerners. The MB (and moreso the Salafis) happily promise them these outcomes.

Of course there is the practical aspect of the MB's promise: it is really saying that Sharia, a proxy war and possibly a hot war with Israel will solve Egypt's future woes. Smuggling, terror attacks from Egyptian sol and rocket attacks will be the MB norm. It's not that they wouldn't mind an invasion of Israel--Egypt sought Israel's destruction in 67 and 48 quite happily and was willing to go all the way and conquer wat it could. It's just that that isn't a realistic possibility for them. So this is basically the end of the Egypt-Israel peace treaty and a return to cold and hot hostilities.

Now the Egyptian military understands all this. They played the same game with the Israelis, and introduced Islamist aspects to their 'secular' rule, over the years, to account for the growing pro-Islamist tide of Egyptian public opinion. They stopped playing bcause tehy wanted to concentrate on building up their 'business' ventures and corrupt practices.

[Sava]

Even an Islamist gov't wouldn't want the US to stop paying camp david money

[Az]

I would equate this to prison politics. There is no actual basis for comparison to what is good governance in the arab world - so the whole thing descends into a popularity contest / showboating and posturing.

MB does not really threaten me because our enemies seem to be in much greater disarray than ever before. The middle east and levant's standard - The Turks, the Egyptians, the peninsula Arabs and the Iranians are all in deadlock in their relations amongst themselves, which makes it very fortunate that our government is currently at a place where it is not doing anything. It seems that the forces around us are all busy fighting amonst each other.

[Dinner]

If your enemy is intent on hanging himself make sure to lend him your rope. You wouldn't want him to not have enough, right?

[Ben Kenobi]

Now the Egyptian military understands all this. They played the same game with the Israelis, and introduced Islamist aspects to their 'secular' rule, over the years, to account for the growing pro-Islamist tide of Egyptian public opinion. They stopped playing bcause tehy wanted to concentrate on building up their 'business' ventures and corrupt practices.

They can do all this by stating that they will conquer Jerusalem. Them making Jerusalem their capital shows substantial ignorance of their own history, and weakness of their control over Egypt.

Every successful Egyptian based regime has ruled from Cairo, over Mecca and the Levant, since Cairo was built.

[dannubis]

Right, because it makes so much sense to wait until there are actually being shots fired to worry about something.

Yes, quickly, let's bomb them before shots are fired

[dannubis]

If your enemy is intent on hanging himself make sure to lend him your rope. You wouldn't want him to not have enough, right?

Given the fact he wants to hang himself I would suggest a slight shortness of rope...

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Given the fact he wants to hang himself I would suggest a slight shortness of rope...

[giblets]

They can do all this by stating that they will conquer Jerusalem. Them making Jerusalem their capital shows substantial ignorance of their own history, and weakness of their control over Egypt.

Every successful Egyptian based regime has ruled from Cairo, over Mecca and the Levant, since Cairo was built.

Because in an era of instant communication the location of your capital really matters for administrative purposes.