JW Obtains Gen. El-Sisi’s Radical Thesis from Army War College

The Obama administration embraced Egypt’s Defense Minister and coup leader, General Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, despite having first-hand knowledge of his radical Islamist views, documents obtained by Judicial Watch show.

For years the U.S. Army War College (USAWC) has been sitting on a 2006 thesis authored by General El-Sisi while he studied at the Pennsylvania school, the Army’s most senior military educational institution. Judicial Watch obtained the thesis using public-records laws and the paper, El-Sisi’s only published work, is downright alarming.

It reveals his radical vision for democracy in the Middle East by combining Islamism with militarism. “The challenge that exists is whether the rest of the world will be able to accept a democracy in the Middle East founded on Islamic beliefs,” El-Sisi writes in the 17-page thesis. “Practically speaking, this should not be an issue because Islamic beliefs produce behavior that is more than comparable to other religious behavior.”

The general embraces an extremist view of Islam’s role in a democracy and emphasizes the importance of religion to the region’s politics, writing that for democracy to be successful in the Middle East it must demonstrate respect to the religious nature of the culture and seek public support from religious leaders. “Democracy cannot be understood in the Middle Ease without an understanding of the concept of El Kalafa,” El-Sisi writes referring to the decades-long period when Muslims were led by Muhammad.

Returning to the Muhammad days is widely recognized as the goal for any new form of government in the Middle East, El-Sisi writes. He also takes the opportunity to trash the United States, writing that America cares only about protecting its national interests in the Middle East. “Is transitioning to democracy in the best interest of United States or is it in the interest of the Middle Eastern countries?” The general goes on to warn that “democracy development in the Middle East will not easily emerge if it’s perceived as a move by the United States to further her own self-interest.”

After reading this, many may wonder how the Obama administration could possibly support General El-Sisi after leading the armed overthrow of Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi. Secretary of State John Kerry claimed Egypt’s army was “restoring democracy,” according to news reports. “The military was asked to intervene by millions and millions of people,” Kerry said during a visit to Pakistan after the coup.

Another news report reveals that Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel also supports El-Sisi and advocated on his behalf after having lunch with the radical militant. Hagel told associates that he believed El-Sisi was someone Washington could—and should—work more closely with, according to inside sources cited in the story.