Excerpt

The 2013 coup d'état by the military that ousted the Morsi regime in Egypt and suspended the nation's constitution was widely condemned throughout the world. The actions of the Egyptian military were perceived, perhaps rightfully so, as the breaking of the law by forces that exist in part to make sure that those very laws are upheld. State forces unilaterally deciding to enter the nation into a state of emergency thus preempted the Egyptian rule of law. This transition to martial law, supposedly temporary due to emergency circumstances, can be seen as a classic example of the state of exception.