A Background on Egypt - Essay Example

A Background on Egypt Introduction Egypt is an Afro-Asiatic transcontinental country that, via the Sinai Peninsula, spans the northeast corner of Africa and the southeast corner of Asia. Egypt’s population is 87 million people, making it the fifteenth-most populous in the world (Hegazy and Effat 805). Most of the country’s habitants live in urban centers. Although, the country is an economic power, high rate of unemployment contribute to having a lot of people occupy slums where life is demeaning. This paper will be discussing the issues such as the strategic position of the country, its political system and leadership, its development in terms of infrastructure and economy, military order of battle, and its foreign policy. Strategic Position Egypt occupies a strategic position as it is a bridge between two continents and links two chief waterways, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Its position demands that it dominates its environment otherwise it suffers from the victimization of foreign powers. Egypt survival depends on the Nile River. Indeed, the majority of the country’s citizens live near along the river where the only arable land is found, an area of about 15, 000 square miles (THE WORLD FACTBOOK). The country is also considered to be in a very strategic position politically since it’s at the epicenter of three circles. These are the Arab, the African, and the Islamic people. The country considers itself playing a vital role in Africa as it was a major advocate of nonalignment and neutralism. With its strategic position, Egypt remains an important part of major powers’ plan to reach the Arab world. Egypt’s Political System and Leadership In spite of the country’s unbalanced outcome of its two referendums and parliamentary elections, it experienced a free and fair election for a period of 10 months from November 2011. The country’s politics became a tool through which contentious issues could be settled. During the 2012 elections, twenty-nine parties and several independent candidates competed for the 498 seats available in the People’s Assembly. Together with the Muslim brotherhood, El-Nur Salafi party secured themselves almost seventy percent of the seats in the People’s Assembly. With the eight political parties that competed in the elections, the Islamists won at least 83 percent of the 180 available seats (Sallam 4). The police forces collapse in 2011 led to prisoners escaping from eleven major prisons in Egypt. Among those that did escape were jihadist operatives that belonged to numerous terrorist groups. They went back to join their groups and then retaliatory attacks ensued. Police stations, government buildings, the army, gas pipeline to neighboring Israel were some of the targets of the attacks. Although the Egyptian armed forces launched military operations to counter the terrorist, the efforts are yet to eradicate the presence of the terrorists from their region of operations. Nonetheless, their organizational capacities were greatly hit. THE LONG WAR JOURNAL reported that President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi stated that about 208 people who had "taken up arms" against security forces in the country were killed in 2014 and that almost 1,000 arrested. Infrastructure and Economics Over the past 50 years, Egypt has experience exponential growth in terms of its infrastructure. Transport, telecommunication, water and sanitation, and provision of electricity are among areas that have witnessed booming development. In relation to international expectations, the country’s economic power corresponds to its development in infrastructure. This has been achieved through purposeful investment. While the country aims at raising its economic growth, undoubtedly, the past decade has been marked by a decline in infrastructure. More efficient investment coupled with larger infrastructure investment are said to be the only viable option the country has in rejuvenating its economic development. Most of economic activities occur along the Nile (THE WORLD FACTBOOK). The former presidents Hosni Mubarak and Anwar El-Sadat opened up an economy that had been highly centralized by president Gamal Abdel NASSER. During the periods 2004 to 2008, the country pursued a number of reforms that were aimed at attracting foreign investments. Nonetheless, the situation on the ground was not favorable for the citizens and it was because of their dissatisfaction that Egypt went through its worst ever chaos. The government worked on addressing this discontent through economic reforms and drastic increase in social spending. Even so, political uncertainty reduced the level of economic growth. Among the most affected industries were tourism, construction, and manufacturing. Due to this reason, the country suffered from high unemployment rates. Since 2011, the fear of inflation from a devalued pound forced Egypt to rely on foreign aid from the gulf countries to service imports. The WORLD FACTBOOK shows that Egypt had a purchasing power parity of $551.4 billion in 2013 and that in the previous year, the GDP (purchasing power parity) was $541.5 billion. The deterioration has only been the result of failure of the rule of law, an increased corruption and pitfalls in property rights. In general, Egypt’s uneven reform progress has suffered a lot in recent years. This can be attributed to poor performance in investment freedom score and fiscal freedom. In 2014, the country registered its lowest score in over 12 years. Lack of economic freedom and eventually progress has had most citizens trapped in economic stagnation and poverty. For Egypt to escape from this situation and go back to its position as an economic hub, the country needs institutional reforms so that it is transitioned to a functionin market economy and an operational rule of law. Military Order of Battle The Egyptian Armed Forces is the largest not only Africa but also the Middle East. According to the Globalsecurity.org, the military was established in 1922 and consists of Egyptian Army, Egyptian Air Defense Forces, Egyptian Air Force, and Egyptian Navy. According to the constitution, the country’s armed forces are led by the Supreme Council or the General command. The Supreme Council, which is operational in terms of emergency, is headed by the President. The president, in support of the 21 military officers representing the various armies and departments of the armed forces, holds the title of the Supreme leader of the Egyptian armed forces (Davutoğlu 70). These forces are very powerful in the country. Their power during the Arab Uprising earned them the name ‘state within a state’. The military order of battle of Egypt is divided in several subgroups of which are headquartered in different locations throughout the country. The Central Military High Command is situated in Heliopolis, Cairo. Then there is the Tactical Missile Command, the Republican Guard, and the First Field Army with headquarters in Cairo, the Second Field Army operated from Ismaelia, and lastly from Suez is the Third Field Army. Foreign Policy Egypt occupies a strategic position in matters related to the Arab world. Its chief threat is normally Israel. Recently, the country adopted a handful of several foreign policies that will only bring it a series of challenges that involve threats to its national security. The main threat to its strategic position, however, is the growth of power of Turkey, Iran, and Israel to the extent of playing regional roles in the fight for influence over the region (Davutoğlu 77). The role, status, and position of Egypt will remain in the decline in the Arab world if it does not disentangle itself from the American sphere and meet the challenge mentioned above. If the leadership rises to the challenge and decides to address the issues it faces in regard to international relations, the pressing need for change in the country’s foreign policy will rise based on; 1. Restoration of order in the Arab house and the need to seek building of a consensus so as there is the attainment of mutual benefits for all the countries involved. 2. Opening newer relations with Iran starting with exchanging of ambassadors and then fostering relationships with Turkey. This will also be a way of opening up for dialogue between the countries in view of seeking solutions to security problems from the region. 3. Dealing with the security threat that Israel poses to Egypt and the Arab world. This will require Egypt to mobilize allies so as to confront and control Israel. Conclusively, Egypt still has a chance to develop and maybe return to its initial position as an economic power. Still, numerous changes need to be made first most of which are policies that involve its leadership. Having a good leadership in place charts the best path for any country to take in terms of the economy and foreign relationship. Like in Syria and other Arab countries in North Africa as discussed by the World Military Balance, the recent Arab revolution has only put Egypt in a fix and in an even more difficult position for rehabilitation. Nonetheless, the economic situation of the country is expected to improve. Works Cited "A Project of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies." 20 January 2015. The LONG WAR JOURNAL. 27 1 2015. "GlobalSecurity.Org." 1 September 2013. 27 January 2015. "THE WORLD FACTBOOK." January 2015. Central Intelligence Agency. 27th January 2015. “The Military Balance 2014.” 5 February 2014. The Military Balance. 27 1 2015. Davutoğlu, Ahmet. "Turkey’s foreign policy vision: An assessment of 2007." Insight Turkey 10.1 (2008): 77-96. Hegazy, M. N., and H. Effat. "Exploring the Egyptian Terrain Characteristics from Space for Strategic Planning." Survival and Sustainability. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2011. 805-814. Sallam, Hesham. "Egypt: Transition in the Midst of Revolution1." Elections and Democratization in the Middle East: The Tenacious Search for Freedom, Justice, and Dignity (2014): 35. Read More