Older, but I Never Posted This

This isn't new; in fact it made the rounds last summer but I realize I never posted it:

For those who don't get it immediately, think Magritte:

From Nasser to Sisi: Nostalgia for Bonapartism?

September 28 marked the 43rd anniversary of the death of Gamal ‘Abdel Nasser, and it was marked amid growing enthusiasm in Egypt's media for another military man, Gen. ‘Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi. Although General Sisi continues to decline public comment on a possible candidacy and unofficially is said to not want to run for President, a broad range of political figures ranging from Nasserists to various types of liberals are endorsing Sisi even though he has not said he is running, And today, General Sisi called for a faster transitional period in order to restore stability in a speech to the military.

Sisi certainly has seemed a far more charismatic figure since ousting Muhammad Morsi in July than either Morsi or Sisi's military predecessor, the uninspiring Field Marshal Tantawi. But while many supporters of a Sisi Presidency see him as a charismatic leader who saved the country, others look to the Army as providing a guarantor of stability and an end to the widespread violence and lack of security that has plagued the country since the 2011 ouster of Husni Mubarak. After all, every Egyptian leader since 1952, until the year-long interlude of Morsi, came from the Armed Forces (all but Mubarak, who was  Air Force, came from the Army).

Two potential military candidates for the presidency, former Chief of Staff Sami Enan and former Air Force Chief Ahmad Shafiq (who lost narrowly to Morsi in the 2012 elections) have each said that while they are candidates, they will not run if Sisi decides to stand.

Some Egyptian leftists are warning against military rule as "fascist," but the experience of military rule in Egypt, while authoritarian, has never really been fascist. A better term might be Bonapartist, especially given the rising mood of turning to Sisi as a potential military savior who will restore stability after the chaos of the revolutionary period.

Admittedly, at this distance it is hard to judge how widespread and genuine the enthusiasm for Sisi may be, as opposed to how much it is a product of the state-owned media propaganda, though independent papers and television stations are also on the Sisi bandwagon.

Cult of Personality? What Cult of Personality?

There are many things deserving of blogging but it's a Friday night so let's try something light. As long ago as July we noted what seems to be an emerging cult of personality around Egyptian Defense Minister General Sisi, including claims that he was the boy giving flowers to Nasser  in this picture:
Then my post about General Sisi's political ambitions drew five hilarious comments by commenters funnier than I am, so I posted about the response to my post, and comments on that have reached 37 so far.

Just last week we encountered this curious tribute to the Egyptian Army:


Well, things are getting personality cultish enough that a mere blogger can't be expected to keep up. But never fear, relief is here. The General Sisi cult now has what  it has been crying out for: a Tumblr, called Sisi Fetish, and headlined "Where else have you seen General Sisi today?"

The selection may be tongue-in-cheek but I fear the items and photos themselves were made quite seriously. There are the posters urging Sisi to run for President:

Nothing remotely Mussolini-ish about that logo, right?

Then there's the lion of the Egyptian Armed Forces:

Actually, lions seem to be a fairly common theme around here:

But there are some genuinely educational items among the content. I for example, had not known until this Egyptological expert (it says so right here) informed us that "Sisi" is the same name as that of Ramses III! (Say it, Sisi, Ramses). See, it's obvious, he's not just Nasser,he's Ramses! (Ramsisi?)

 Oh, wait, he's not just Ramses and Nasser; He's Sadat, too:

The fellow to the right of the poster in the galabiyya adds a folksy touch to show that while Sisi may be Nasser, Sadat, and Ramses, he's also a man of the common people. But why is Sadat saluting with his left hand?

Remember Him?

Now, anyone looking at all this would assume General Sisi was Egypt's ruler (or the reincarnation of several of them, at least). But he's only Defense Minister. The actual Acting President is ‘Adly Mansour (right). Though admittedly, Mr. Mansour does not appear to be a candidate for a cult of personality.

But now we have the Sisifetish site to keep us from missing out on anything as we sit back and enjoy our (New!) Sisy Mix sandwiches! (I guess they needed balance for the name "Amo Hosny"):

Things are getting strange, indeed.

I don't have a nostalgia photo for this weekend but will leave you to contemplate over your Sisy Sandwiches the Sisi/Ramses connection and other such things, and offer a suitable tribute (though not from the Tumblr) like this one to the Egyptian Armed Forces: