Thus Spoke Chairman Sisi

Yesterday, I watched a taping of a speech by Sisi of Egypt.  Quite a show.  To say that he is a good and effective speaker would not be saying much because sometimes it seems that all Egyptians are good and articulate speakers.  Don't get me wrong: he has the charisma of Joe Biden and the personality of Harry Reid but something about him is selling in Egypt and even beyond (many Arab progressives--leftists and Nasserists--are supporting him, especially in the pro-Bashshar Al-Asad camp).  He is a very good demagogue: his sentences are peppered with praises for the Egyptian people and he rationalizes every act and every murder by invoking the will of the Egyptian people.  This is a dictator of the typical Latin American coup genre, and the sun glasses is an essential prop in that regard.  The Sisi phenomenon is here to stay and he is likely to instigate a bloody conflict in Egypt that will last for years to come.