Country Profile
From The Report: Egypt 2012
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This section provides an overview of Egypt’s geography, history, government, foreign relations, population and language, as well as a discussion of the most recent elections and some of the more prominent socioeconomic issues. The chapter includes a viewpoint from President Mohamed Morsy, along with interviews from William Hague, UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; and Nabil Elaraby, Secretary-General, League of Arab States.
Articles from this Chapter
At the nexus: A confluence of culture, history and geography
Guided by optimism: A difficult transition promises a path to much-needed stabilityOBGplus
The last 18 months have carried Egypt through a radical political transformation. President Hosni Mubarak, who had ruled Egypt for three decades, stepped down amid nationwide protests. Mubarak’s former ruling party, the National Democratic Party, has been dissolved, and for the first time in history, Egyptians participated in fair and free elections. In other ways, however, there is much continuity with the past. Much of the bureaucracy from the previous regime remains in place, and the…
President Mohamed Morsy on the country’s futureOBGplus
We will begin a new phase in Egypt’s history and close the page on an abhorrent chapter. We will rewrite a story of glory that echoes back to our wondrous past, a history that belongs to the millennia when Egypt went through eras of prosperity. We will work to avoid reviving the eras of weakness and hardship, for Egypt shall never turn back to what it once was. The Egyptian people have imposed their will and sovereignty. For the first time in modern history, they have been able to pursue their…
Electoral dividends: A victory for Islamists and expectations for economic reformOBGplus
One of the most frequent observations made of the Arab Spring throughout the Middle East, particularly in Egypt, has been the performance of religious movements. For many in the West, the triumphs of Al Nahda in Tunisia or that of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) are symbolic of a broader narrative sweeping the region: the rise of political Islam. However, in line with the discrepancies between the societies involved in the Arab Spring, the roles of…
OBG talks to William Hague, UK Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth AffairsOBGplus
Interview: William Hague What can Egypt do to ensure strong public accountability during this period of change? WILLIAM HAGUE: Through their revolution in 2011, the Egyptian people made clear their call for change. Over the past 18 months the British government has encouraged the Egyptian authorities to establish a clear set of timelines and actions for the transition to democratic civilian rule through a transparent and inclusive process. To meet the aspirations of the Egyptian people, this change…
OBG talks to Nabil Elaraby, Secretary-General, League of Arab States (LAS)OBGplus
Interview:Nabil Elaraby How can the broader LAS membership reinforce the gains made in the region since the Arab Spring? NABIL ELARABY: The LAS response to the experiences born out of the Arab Spring varies from one country to the next. The case of Egypt is different from Libya, from Yemen and so on. LAS members have been very supportive of all the Arab Spring countries, whether in offering political support, such as in the cases of Libya and Yemen, or in helping the economies weather the…
Swinging the vote: Free and fair elections signal a clear break from the pastOBGplus
It took no less than 59 years and 16 months for Egyptians to finally exercise the right to freely elect a national leader. In that regard, the popular uprising of 2011 has already delivered more than the Free Officers’ coup of 1952. But with the roles of the military and the presidency still undefined, Egyptians must still wait to see if their vote will in fact herald a new, democratic Egypt. NEW LEAF: On June 24, 2012 the elections commission announced Egypt’s first freely elected president…
