The Egyptian President Abdul Fatah Al Sissi has arguably taken on one of the hardest jobs in the world. He has inherited over 30 years of neglect, corruption, a paucity of jobs, a mountain of debt and the plight of millions struggling to raise their heads above the poverty line. His challenge was made harder by more than three years of insecurity, instability and social unrest that together have undermined the economy’s trajectory. A lesser person would have thrown up his hands in despair and walked off into the sunset. But Al Sissi is made of sterner stuff and propelled by his undeniable love of country he is determined to realise his vision against all odds.
In less than four months, his checklist has received more ticks than most thought possible. For one thing, he’s delivered on making Egypt relatively secure. The Muslim Brotherhood is virtually old news; its protests small and scattered. Indeed, two major political Islamist parties have recently quit the Brotherhood-led so-called “Anti-Coup Alliance” to forge new alliances in readiness for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The Brotherhood is in disarray. Designated ‘terrorist’ by Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, at least seven of its leaders have been asked to leave Qatar, while Britain has barred the door to its “activists” and is set to limit the organisation’s activities on UK soil.
On the foreign policy front, he’s cemented cordial relations with Ethiopia — formerly frosty over the construction of a dam that could potentially reduce potable Nile water reaching Egypt — and is due to visit Addis Ababa later this year to discuss bilateral relations. He has courted Algeria which is now working hand-in-hand with Egypt “to achieve peace and security” in light of threats to both countries from Libyan militias. His government wielded its diplomatic efforts to gain Egypt’s reinstatement to the African Union and Al Sissi showed his statesmanship with his mediation of a ceasefire bringing an end to the conflict in Gaza, while Cairo is due to host an international donor conference for Gaza’s reconstruction on October 12.
Strategic partner
The US, whose stance on Egypt’s transition bordered on hostile a year ago, has softened its tune and is now prepared to unlock the delivery of ten Apache helicopters. US Secretary of State John Kerry has acknowledged that Egypt plays a key role in the coalition formed to defang the barbaric Islamic State of Syria and the Levant and is an important strategic regional partner. He lauded Cairo’s efforts to achieve peace in Gaza.
However, Egypt has tilted towards Russia in an effort to diversify its relationships and to ensure its independence from Washington in respect to weapons, military airplanes and spare parts. On September 17, Cairo and Moscow signed a $3.5 billion (Dh12.85 billion) arms deal. Russia has been tapped to establish an industrial zone along the Suez Canal and bilateral trade has increased sharply following US and EU anti-Russia sanctions.
On par with security issues, the president’s main priority is developing the economy. This has required a massive dose of tough love in terms of cuts in energy subsidies, which could have triggered renewed civil unrest. But notwithstanding the risks, as recognised by economists and the International Monetary Fund, it had to be done. That was no vote-getter, but once again Egyptians who voted with their feet on June 30 and with their ballots last May, responded to Al Sissi’s call for cash to fund his mega new Suez Canal project with the contents of their pockets. The people clamoured to purchase Suez Canal Certificates and in just 11 days, some might say miraculously, they were sold out.
New factories
Upping educational standards and facilities are also of prime importance to the president, especially since the country ranked last in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report. To that end, the government will construct 1,150 new schools this year and employ 30,000 new teachers. Also in the pipeline are plans to build new factories and upgrade hospitals.
There’s more good news. Egypt expects to attract foreign investment of $10 billion over the coming fiscal year which has doubled since June 2013. The bourse has consistently displayed an upward trend and the tourism minister has just announced that he expects tourism to fully recover by the end of next year provided current levels of stability are maintained.
But not all in the garden is rosy. One of the greatest conundrums Al Sissi faces is a severe energy shortage. To combat this obstacle, the government is looking to sources of renewable energy, in particular solar, and has signed oil and gas exploration deals with several western companies. In the meantime, the UAE will supply Egypt with oil products on favourable terms over the coming 12 months, while Russia’s Gazprom is committed to delivering seven shipments of liquefied natural gas beginning December.
On September 25, Al Sissi will make his debut speech at the UN General Assembly that’s expected to focus on regional stability. As someone who’s lived through two revolutions and witnessed firsthand a myriad of improvements and the flowering of a climate of optimism since his inauguration, all that’s left to say is more power to him and to 90 million human beings he’s pledged to serve!
Linda S. Heard is a specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She can be contacted at lheard@gulfnews.com
