The Arab World’s most populous country is surging ahead against all odds. The tourism industry, which had faltered during the three years of political turbulence, is recovering. Many countries have lifted or modified travel bans. And there is an ongoing effort to improve facilities and infrastructure. The government is working hard to attract foreign investment and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has forecast positive economic growth for 2015.
Last week, Egypt’s bourse was boosted by more than 15 billion Egyptian pounds (Dh7.7 billion). On Sunday, the country hosted the largest US business delegation since 2011, with representatives from multinational corporations engaged in technology, energy and pharmaceutical sectors taking part.
A report on CNBC titled ‘While we weren’t looking an Arab economy took off’ states: “The country makes a surprisingly quick — and in the West, largely unnoticed — recovery.
However, this is no time for celebration. Attacks on security forces in northern Sinai by terrorist groups, including Ansar Beit Al Maqdis, which has recently pledged allegiance to Daesh, are frequent occurrences. The killing of 31 military personnel last month shocked the nation eliciting tearful calls to media networks. President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi placed the blame on “foreign elements” and promptly ordered a zero-tolerance crackdown, which stops short of all-out ground attacks. Reuters quotes an unnamed military source saying: “The army’s biggest problem is that the militants are part of the civilian population. You need to pick them out with a pin.” Part of the army’s strategy is the creation of a 500-metre buffer zone between Egypt and Gaza to prevent weapons being smuggled through tunnels. This has necessitated the destruction of 800 homes.
Evacuees are provided with three months’ rent or temporary accommodation and are monetarily compensated for the values of their homes or land. Rafah’s residents have been assured that they can look forward to a new modernised town. The president has instructed his Council for Community Development to produce a feasibility study for the creation of “an integrated urban community to achieve sustainable development for the people of Rafah” within two weeks. Moreover, the Muslim Brotherhood has refused to accept that they are past their sell-by date. Indeed, the banned organisation has clearly stated that it will not reconcile with the authorities. Hardly a Friday goes by when their ideologues or paid sycophants do not endanger lives with illegal anti-government protests that inevitably turn violent. In recent weeks, homemade bombs, allegedly planted by Brotherhood sympathisers, exploded close to Cairo University’s campus and on trains, causing numerous casualties.
Irresponsible human rights groups have ganged-up against the government, complaining to the international community that the country is run by an authoritarian regime without respect for democratic rights. They are wilfully failing to understand that Egypt is in crisis, being attacked from within and facing plots by pro-Muslim Brotherhood foreign capitals.
Democracy cannot flourish in an emergency situation, which Al Sissi is the first to admit. His duties are to keep people safe, ensure the economy is kept afloat and to protect the state from being undermined. It seems to me that human rights officials care nothing for the rights of the majority. Their concerns are centre on the rights of criminals, extremists and agitators. They condemn Egypt’s protest laws, but stay silent when it comes to harsher restrictions on demonstrations in the US and Europe, where protesters are ring-fenced and anyone who does not comply with the rules is arrested. I do not have to imagine how London, Paris or Washington would respond if ‘peaceful demonstrators’ marched through their cities wielding AK47s, Molotov cocktails and live cartridges.
In addition to security issues, Cairo’s dispute with Ethiopia over its Renaissance (hydroelectric) dam, that has the potential of reducing the flow of Nile waters to Egypt impacting livelihoods, has not been resolved, though both sides have recently signed various trade agreements. Ethiopia’s foreign minister has sought to quell Egypt’s concerns with assurances that the Dam poses no threat.
As I write, there may be yet another diplomatic contretemps in the making triggered by the storming of the Al Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of ultra-religious Jewish colonists, protected by a contingent of armed security personnel. The intrusion came on the heels of Israel’s closure of the Al Haram Al Sharif to Muslim worshipers. Jordan has recalled its ambassador to protest Israel’s “desecration of the mosque”, considered to be Islam’s third holiest, and has threatened to re-visit its peace agreement with Israel. “All diplomatic options are open to us, including sections of the peace agreement between Israel and Jordan,” said Mohammad Al Mumani, Jordan’s Minister of Information.
Egyptian-Israeli relations have been cooperative, based on mutual security interests, until now. Indeed, Israel has just given Egypt’s armed forces the green light to deploy additional battalions and military helicopters in Sinai’s demilitarised border zone. However, assaults on Al Aqsa Mosque constitute a red line. Egypt has warned that further attacks will result in “disastrous consequences”.
There are no magic cures to Egypt’s economic, social and security woes and, at times, Al Sissi must be surely feeling that he is running an obstacle course. However, he is standing strong and tackling each obstacle head-on. Egyptians should take a long hard look at the neighbourhood — Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya — and thank their stars that the man in charge has their back.
Linda S. Heard is a specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She can be contacted at lheard@gulfnews.com
