Egypt's Voice Of Reason Just Quit The Vice Presidency

Mohamed ElBaradei, the The Nobel laureate and former head of the United Nations' nuclear regulatory agency, has resigned his post as Egypt's interim vice president.

The announcement comes amid a Egyptian Army crackdown that has left more than 140 people dead, including two international journalists, and hundreds more wounded.

ElBaradei, a opposition figure during the 2011 uprising who subsequently ran for president, is seen as the voice of reason in a government established by the military in the aftermath of a coup that deposed Islamist President Mohamed Morsi on July 3.

The entire country is in violent turmoil. Earlier the army announced a state of emergency across the country, meaning that most cities will face a 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew for at least a month.

Jon Williams of BBC notes that the country was "governed" under emergency law from 1967 to 2012, except for an 18-month break in 1980/81.