CAIRO – Today in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, the Chief Justice of Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court was sworn in as the nation's interim president. This event took place hours after the Egyptian military ousted President Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.

Adly Mansour took the oath of office at the Nile-side Constitutional Court in a ceremony broadcast live on state television. According to Egyptian military decree, Mansour will serve as Egypt's interim leader until a new president is elected at a date yet to be announced.

Mohamed Morsi was Egypt's first democratically elected president, but he was overthrown by the military on Wednesday after a tumultuous year in office. Morsi is under house arrest at an undisclosed location, and has reportedly rejected an offer to leave the country.

The White House and U.S. allies are monitoring developments in Egypt and observing what the Egyptian military does in the immediate future to define a path toward restoring order, and bringing about a democratic process into the country’s political system. The U.S. awards approximately 1.6 Billion in aid to the Egyptian military every year. In addition to its overall strategic interest in the Middle East, this level of military aid makes the United a major player in this developing story. Egypt is a key U.S. Ally, and the closest ally of the United in the Middle East. Read More...