This glorious country with rich historical pedigree has descended into specialist media machination and mash-up of recent that you wonder if history has actually ended. However what is emerging is a testament to historical amnesia of majority Egyptians who have been sold down the river numerous times that they have lost count. The purpose of this article is to explicit forgotten lines on the conflicting imageries and narratives of what Egypt means and how today’s mess came to the fore. It is important to stress that ordinary majority Egyptians haven’t precipitated this outcome rather the powerful minority (elite) among them have.
Son of Africa
One of the sad elements of current Egyptian crisis is her apparent and deliberate loss of identity. There is no dispute Africa extends from Cape to Cairo, Cape Verde to the Mogadishu (the Horn). Later narratives have gradually with some success deconstructed Egypt’s Africaness and migrated it into the sad conundrum called Middle East. Egypt is one of the giant sons and daughters of Africa. In the early post world war 2 days, Egypt’s place was assured and secure as General Nasser reflected and transformed this historical patrimony.
What is sadder with the extension of this ugly metageography devoid of any continental underpinning is the depiction of the so-called Middle East as ranging from Morocco to the eastern ends of the Arabian Peninsula. It is curious that the metageography of Middle East is coterminous to lands mostly populated by Arabs, which in any case should be referred to as Arabistan. In the bid to consolidate this front of self-determination coupled with rise of petro-dollar hegemony, Egypt was put on the back foot of both African and Arab leadership from which it is yet to recover. President Morsi’s reaction to the recent Nile Treaty ratified by most countries in the catchment area represents a perfect summary of Egypt’s identity crisis.
Historical Self-Destruction Marker
Post-Nasser period presented binary expectations for continuation of a proud nation with clear focus and unimpeded strategic goal which is not subordinate to foreign interest. Nevertheless the current crisis was signed and seal with Camp David Accord which simply evoked her death warrant. With this treaty Egypt lost every trapping of an independent state and an able player in the global field including immediate loss of leadership in both Arab and Islamic worlds. By willingly playing second fiddle Egypt was consigned to the side-lines of a summit where she is the agenda. President Sadat may have paid with his life but that payment was sustained by General Hosni Mubarak with vivacity.
In another strategic outcome of that treaty Egypt was summarily divided into two opposing forces, the power elite composed of the privileged dominating one party machinery including the military beholding to foreign interest, and the poor ordinary masses who wait endlessly for bread and or sort solace in the arm of puritanical interpretation of religious doctrines. Bamboozled with foreign aid of all manners, the elite slipped into comfortable coma letting down the majority in failing to accept them as the only asset the country have after all. Problems do not only extend, they mutate and bid their pre-explosion time.
Zero-sum geopolitics
Egypt in the persons of Sadat and Mubarak (and elite) permitted playing second fiddle as existential goal during the cold war however miserably failed to project post-cold war geopolitical calculus with any sense of national interest dynamic. In essence they count of being part of the winning team. Sadly there was only one winner! They forgot that it takes many lives to make one general. As the new world order took shape Cairo was immune to the emerging nuances that the sole winner want no challengers even as her relevance was reduced to check-mating the largest open prison in the world. What commenced as a binary geography of world view that placed Egypt in the ‘axis of not - evil’ unveiled the fact that the only thing that mattered in Egypt is not the people but the army, an army whose doctrine is not national defence.
On the foot of unwinnable war on terror of which Cairo falsely believed it is on the winning team, another packaged upheaval or controlled mayhem mislabelled as a revolution ensued across the African part of Arabistan. Curiously the non-African part of Arabistan held, of course what is left of Iraq is anyone’s guess. A revolution unfolded as a top-down theatre where the majority down and out were mere players devoid of potency, cohesion and plan played along. Only that the elite were doing musical chairs in the interregnum. It is evil and this time one can paraphrase Clausewitz (of course for a member of the ‘axis of not – evil’) evil is extension of politics by other means. Therefore Egypt is a beneficiary of the evil that was intended for members of the proverbial ‘axis of evil’.
Economy Foolish
When a coup against an elected government is now debated on its (de)merits with the untouched army up again in the fore at least those apostles of democracy still relish the right to do a decent job. Egypt is down and out for another generation. Maybe South America may beckon for lessons learnt! The main problem above all is economic hardship and economic sabotage underpinned by neoliberal doctrine which will not go away until wealth distribution is implemented in a true mass reaction lead by the down. Apart from that the power elite will cling to power with divide and rule tactics in the short term while the big one waits on the window of time.
For those who have suffered most have no worries holding out as long as time allows. Muslim Brotherhood will not wait another swath of decades to kiss power again hence the bloody horizon. No easy way out of this one.
Lessons if at all Learnt
The so-called revolution has unravelled and it is time for majority Egyptians to seat down, think and regroup. They have been on the road of euphoria and intoxication hoping to make real change without time or plan. In addition it is time for the majority to use similar binary cognition to distinguish between friends and foes; within and without.
Sadly and truthfully mayhem will not leave Egypt soon because the problem has morphed into hydra. Nevertheless the biggest lesson is for the Brotherhood to focus on remaining relevant to their base. They need to critically recalculate and reconscientize their raison d’etre, foreign relations, choice of dependable allies and strategic initiatives, revaluation of capitalism. ‘Egypt first’ policy will be welcome. Only then will the first seeds of stability be sown. Stop the isolation in the Arabistan camp as it is empheral and unsustainable. Nevertheless their problem in government is the problem of Egypt; cancerous lack of self-confidence. The future of Egypt among other places is not in the Peninsula or the Gulf (Arabian or Persian).
