How to How to Stay in Stay in PowerPower

Building & Maintaining a Building & Maintaining a Single-Party Regime in Single-Party Regime in

EgyptEgypt

Supporters of Pres. Mubarak during the Egyptian presidential campaign, fall 2005. Photo: Yahoo news

Map of Egypt

5 Points to Note5 Points to Note1) Cohesive sense 1) Cohesive sense

of identityof identity Political entity Political entity

since 3200 BCsince 3200 BC 77 million people77 million people Arab/EgyptianArab/Egyptian 90-94% Sunni 90-94% Sunni

Muslim 6-10% Muslim 6-10% Coptic ChristianCoptic Christian

2) Resources2) Resources

A view of Cairo.

Above, children in Cairo. Left, The Egyptian Museum.

3) 3) Administrative Administrative ExperienceExperience– Muhammad Ali, 1805-Muhammad Ali, 1805-

1848 (governor)1848 (governor) reform program reform program

– refashioned the armed refashioned the armed forcesforces

– reorganized reorganized administrationadministration

– installed centralized installed centralized bureaucracybureaucracy

– changed patterns of changed patterns of landholding landholding

– sustained diplomatic sustained diplomatic and commercial and commercial contact with Europecontact with Europe

Muhammad Ali of Egypt. Source: Encarta.com

4) British colonialism & imperialism4) British colonialism & imperialism– French invasion, 1798 French invasion, 1798 – integration into global market, late 1800s integration into global market, late 1800s – 1869: construction and opening of Suez Canal 1869: construction and opening of Suez Canal

inin– 1882: British invasion and occupation 1882: British invasion and occupation – 1923 Constitutional Monarchy1923 Constitutional Monarchy

5) Some history of democratic governance 5) Some history of democratic governance (1923-1952)(1923-1952)– 10 parliamentary elections10 parliamentary elections– WafdWafd Party Party– Problems: mostly rural, illiterate electorate, Problems: mostly rural, illiterate electorate,

external interventionexternal intervention

Creating the one-Creating the one-party state: party state: foundationsfoundations 1952 Egyptian 1952 Egyptian

Revolution (Gamal Revolution (Gamal Abd al-Nasser)Abd al-Nasser)

“Can I ask you a question: what is democracy? We were supposed to have a democratic system during the period 1923 to 1953. But what good was this democracy to our people? I will tell you. Landowners and Pashas ruled our people. They used this kind of a democracy as an easy tool for the benefits of a feudal system.”

- Nasser, 1957 interview, quoted in Roger Owen (2000, p. 149)

Egypt: Government Egypt: Government StructureStructure

President(Hosni Mubarak)

National Assembly(444 members)

National Democratic Party (NDP)

SupremeConstitutional

Court

Emergency State

Security Courts

(since

2005)

Maintaining the one-party Maintaining the one-party state: methodsstate: methods

Fight external enemies & Fight external enemies & promote nationalismpromote nationalism

western western imperialism & the imperialism & the Arab-Israeli Arab-Israeli conflictconflict– 1958 Suez Canal 1958 Suez Canal

CrisisCrisis– 1967 Six Day War1967 Six Day War– 1973 October/Yom 1973 October/Yom

Kippur WarKippur War– 1978/79 Camp 1978/79 Camp

David AccordsDavid Accords– Palestinian Palestinian

nationalismnationalism

Pres. Nasser kicks Israel into the sea. A cartoon published in Lebanon in the run-up to the 1967 Six-day war. From Wikipedia.com.

Israeli tanks in the Golan heights, 1973.

Promises of ProsperityPromises of Prosperity

Arab socialism under Arab socialism under NasserNasser– nationalizationnationalization

InfitahInfitah - Open Door - Open Door Economic Economic

Development Development Foreign aidForeign aid

– $3 billion annually$3 billion annually $1 billion from U.S.$1 billion from U.S. Source: The Economist

Carefully managed dissentCarefully managed dissent

Rigged electionsRigged elections Carefully managed Carefully managed

oppositionopposition

Supporters of the Kefaya (Enough) movement in recent demonstrations.

Fear & RepressionFear & Repression Emergency LawEmergency Law Restrictions on freedom of Restrictions on freedom of

expression, activityexpression, activity Detainment & Detainment &

imprisonmentimprisonment Targets: Islamic activists, civil Targets: Islamic activists, civil

rights activists, homosexuals,rights activists, homosexuals, TortureTorture Inadequate investigationsInadequate investigations

Social Atomization & Social Atomization & AlienationAlienation– The MugammahThe Mugammah

One method of torture in Egypt, as reported by Amnesty International. I was unable to ascertain the original source of the picture.