Whether Egypt's first-ever democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi, was pushed aside by a military coup may be debatable, but it is undeniable that the June 30 protest that triggered his ouster was the largest mass movement in Egypt's history. It was also glaring testimony to the failure of the first phase of Egypt's revolution.
Politicians, generals and jurists could not rise above myopic concerns to build the bedrock for a new republic.
The forcible removal of an elected president should have been avoided — the liberal opposition could have eased popular anger by demanding that the government make some concessions until legislative elections, which had been set for later this year. With a good showing, they could have then compelled Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood to accept the necessary compromises.