Despite the carnage in Syria and tension between Israel and Iran, the biggest political earthquake of the week happened in Egypt.
On Sunday, President Mohammed Morsi shocked the nation by retiring Egypt's most powerful man, Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, the army chief and Mubarak's defense minister since 1992. Other top officers were shifted to civilian position, as the Islamist president reclaimed all executive power from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).
Speaking for the BBC, Omar Ashour from the Brookings Doha Centre pointed out that "this is the first time in Egypt's political history that an elected civilian politician overrules the decisions of the heads of the military establishment".
Experts also say this extraordinary turn of events couldn't have happened without a prior agreement between Morsi and a younger generation of officers who have stepped into Tantawi's shoes - essentially kicking out their boss.
Read more on the background to this story and what it means for Egypt's transition.
Photo by Getty Images.
See also:
Comments