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16 Nov 09

The Angry Arab News Service/وكالة أنباء العربي الغاضب: Algeria versus Egypt: the legacy of Sadat-Mubarak

angryarab.blogspot.com/...sus-egypt-legacy-of-sadat.html - Preview

Algeria Egypt Football War Sadat Mubarak Nationalism Stupidity

08 Nov 09

Phil Marfleet: Egypt's Deepening Crisis (June 1976)

www.marxists.org/...marfleet.htm - Preview

Sadat Capitalism History Military Workers Strikes Egypt USA Aid

As the situation becomes more desperate, Egypt has moved closer to, its American patrons. More arms deals have been signed, and a 1.8 billion dollar aid programme agreed. The bulk of this money will go to food subsidies (estimated £511 million this year) and payment for previous loans. At the same time relations with Russia have reached an all-time low. In mid-March trade and diplomatic agreements were torn up, and Russia denied any military facilities in Egypt. Aimed at disciplining Moscow for its failure to produce more arms, or to reschedule the enormous Egyptian debt, the move was seen by many as an irrevocable step towards the West. Sadat kept his Moscow line just open, however, by signing a new agreement on trade in early May.
Simultaneous with the break with Russia Sadat ordered Prime Minister Salem to introduce a full programme of ‘austerity measures’. This must be a bitter joke for the millions of Egyptians whose lives are already unbearably austere, especially in view of the wave of luxury consumption which followed the lifting of import restrictions. ‘Conspicuous consumption and corruption provokes anger and invites retribution’. (Sunday Times 29.3.76) Within two weeks Egyptian workers had responded with strikes and demonstrations. As reported in Socialist Worker (3.4.76) seventeen thousand textile workers at Damietta struck in protest at the withholding of bonus payments. Salem’s police attacked them with batons and teargas. In Cairo several hundred workers marched to demand wage increases to keep up with price rises, and for better living conditions. Sadat commented that ‘strikes, disturbances and pressure from any element against the government are strictly forbidden.’
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- The huge standing army, 800,000 strong, is an obvious target for capital savings. The military budget consumes one-third of the GDP. There are two dangers. Sadat cannot cut corners by paying less for the ever more sophisticated weaponry his advisors demand. But to make cuts in manpower means releasing numbers of young conscript workers and peasants into the already massive pool of unemployed – to invite the possibility of more organised anti-regime agitation. Second, any transfer of capital away from the military will antagonise the professional soldiers who have been Sadat’s guarantee of support over the last few years. And Sadat knows only too well that opposition inside the military can brush him aside, as it has done other civilian and military rulers throughout the Middle East regularly since Nasser lead the ‘Free Officers’ coup of 1952.

28 Oct 09

بور سعيد (فيلم) - ويكيبيديا، الموسوعة الحرة

What a lovely way to put together a propaganda movie for the state. Nasser, Amer and Sadat ordering Fareed Shawqi to produce the movie, and Sadat writes all advertisements himself. Lovely cooperation...

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