Egypt: Essam Sharaf calls for patience

Egypt's interim prime minister Essam Sharaf has called for patience. He urged Egypt to give the government time, saying: "It is difficult, even impossible, for us to deal with and realise all factional demands...on an individual basis," he said. "The problem isn't financial problems only. A lot of (the problems) depend on institutional and administrative reform. I hope that you cooperate with us and give us time to meet these demands in a way that is fair for all."

The protesters, however, do not like the way thousands are arrested and tried before military courts; that the government seems to have done so little other than condone the persecution of former regime officials.

Their expectations are impossibly high. There remains a naive belief that somehow Egypt will be able to recover the billions taken out of the country by its former rulers, senior officials and corrupt businessmen and that this will be redistributed to the poor and needy.

It will not happen.

The pledges of aid from international donors may give some temporary relief. But, the underlying economic structural imbalances of the Egyptian economy remain daunting.

Critics of the type of structural adjustment programme proposed by the International Monetary Fund say that it led to labour unrest in the textile industry which, in turn, helped fuel the protests that brought down the regime. But the alternative to neo-liberal economic policies, the kind of state control of the economy that appears to be the default position of the finance minister and others in the cabinet, will not generate the economic growth that is needed to provide jobs for the extra half million young people entering the labour market each year.

Egypt needs some plain speaking. There is hardship, and lots of it, ahead.

For more news and expert analysis about Egypt, please see Egypt Politics & Security.

Egypt attends Kabul Conference on Afghanistan

In a significant move, Egypt participated at the Kabul International Conference on Afghanistan which was held on 20th July, and it provided advice on how best to tackle terrorism, given the growing problem in Afghanistan.

The Egyptian delegation included representatives from Al Azhar, which is to start religious training programmes in Afghanistan, to tackle extremism and terrorism. This has the backing of the Al Azhar's head Dr Ahmed el Tayyib, who has made it an integral part of his work to fight extremism and terrorism, not only in Egypt, but across the Muslim world.

Egypt's participation is important because it extends its role into the wider Muslim World beyond the parameters of the Arab World, where it has been facing a decline in influence, given its failure to unite the Palestinians and re-start the stagnant Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

It appears that Egypt is aiming to extend its influence in the Muslim world, with recent initiatives to boost ties with Pakistan and India. This increases its role as a potent actor in the wider non Arab Muslim world where it is in competition with Turkey and Iran.

For more news and expert analysis about Egypt, please see Egypt Politics & Security.

© 2010 Menas Associates

Power struggle between Egyptian conservatives and reformists continues

The Islamists continue to debate the merits of participating in the upcoming People's Assembly elections, with it representing a continuation of the power struggle between the conservatives and reformists.

The reformists want to continue with the movement's political engagement process, despite the prospect of losing much political weight in the next elections. The conservatives, however, see no value in participation as the National Democratic Party (NDP) senior figures have made it clear that the Islamists will not be allowed political space to campaign.

A most likely scenario is the movement's participation but with limited candidates standing; something that would possibly satisfy both camps within the movement.

Many analysts are predicting a crunch time for the movement after the elections at the end of the year, as the outcome is likely to determine the future direction of the group and its role in Egyptian politics.

For more news and expert analysis about Egypt, please see Egypt Politics & Security.

© 2010 Menas Associates

The Muslim Brotherhood make friends with El Baradie

Egypt has witnessed an unexpected development in the last few weeks with the coming together of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and the former director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohammed El Baradie. There are a number of factors to consider regarding this somewhat unexpected recent partnership:

> El Baradie has been eager to tap into the religious section of the Egyptian population and this has been emphasised by his regular visits to a number of local mosques and his meetings with religious clerics.

> The former IAEA director general has alienated himself from the secular opposition because of his constant criticism of them and he has therefore making more enemies than friends in the Egyptian political circles.

> The National Coalition for Change (NAC), which was formed by El Baradie, endeavoured to collect over one million signatures in support of the coalition reforms agenda; however this has been made difficult by NAC's lack of popularity and street credibility.

> The MB, have always aimed to be seen as a viable political group, and by aligning themselves with El Baradie it will finally give them the limelight which they have always sought.

> In addition the MB’s new leadership has been accused of political aggression by those outside as well as inside the movement, which has put pressure on its leaders to give the movement a more defined and clear political direction. As a result, an alliance with El Baradie gives the MB a more structured political agenda, and an image of a politically progressive group.

> Most importantly, the MB failed to secure a seat in the recent Shura Council elections which it blamed on the state for impeding its candidates so its affiliation with El Baradie is also a show of resentment towards the regime.

While the allegence seems strong, the MB have, however, declined to comment on whether they will support El Baradie if he chooses to stand in the 2011 presidential elections.

This alliance has led to a lot of criticism from the secular opposition, who accused El Baradie of sacrificing his political ideals for the sake of convenience and shameless courting of controversy. The MB has equally received criticism primarily from the Salafi movement, who have accused the Brotherhood of violating Islamic principles on the basis of their allegiance with El Baradie.

Neither the MB or El Baradie seem to pay much heed to the criticism and they that their alliance will further their respective political agendas. This has, once again, brought to the surface the fragmented nature of Egyptian politics and the the inual party shifts from alliance to alliance for the sake of political ambition. It has also been detrimental to the overall structure of the Egyptian political system which has always seen the secular political parties acting more like fan clubs for leading politicians rather than parties with well defined and clear ideologies

This post was written by our correspondent in Cairo,Dr Mohammed Zahid, who is also the editor of Egypt Politics & Security.