In early 2011, democracy activists around the world turned their eyes to Tahrir Square as thousands of people descended on the public square in central Cairo to demand the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. At the time, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was Director of Military Intelligence, a powerful position in a regime that had ruled by emergency powers for 30 years. As the mobilization increased, the military seemed less inclined to support Mubarak, especially as reports began to grow that Mubarak planned to install his son Gamal as his successor.
The tide turned immediately, and as Mubarak stepped down just weeks after the protests began, his resignation was seen as a massive victory for the Arab Spring movement. Within a year, Egypt saw its first civilian president elected for the first time through a popular vote – Muslim Brotherhood (MB) leader Mohammed Morsi won over 50% of the vote, defeating a former prime minister of Mubarak’s. . Administration.
President Morsi made Mr. Sisi, who had won the hearts of many Egyptians in August 2012 for restoring the army’s role and stability during the Tahrir Square protests, his defense minister and commander of the armed forces. The post was significant – for decades, the military and the ultra-Orthodox Muslim Brotherhood were enemies, and the MB has been tried and prosecuted by every regime since 1948, accused of violence, terrorism and assassinations. While many were skeptical of the MB, particularly its links to radical terrorist groups, much of the world welcomed the advent of real elections in Egypt, and Morsi was welcomed in several capitals, including New Delhi, Riyadh and Beijing. was done.
In the short period since the protests began, Mr. Sisi had broken with his president (Mubarak), and toppled all of his superiors in the military, a sign of things to come. Within a year, by June 2013, Mr. Mursi’s Islamist policies, clashes with the judiciary and economic mismanagement had brought Egyptians back to Tahrir Square – in what has been called the ‘Tamrud’ movement or rebellion. Mr. Sisi once again broke with his president, this time Morsi, and announced his resignation. In a televised address on 3 July, Mr. Sisi said that Morsi was unfit to govern, and that consequently it was up to him, “on the basis of the military’s historical and patriotic responsibility” to suspend the constitution and replace the chief justice as chief justice. Pro tempore President to appoint as a judge.
brutal repression
The coup was followed by a brutal crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and other opponents – General Sisi, who was soon made Field Marshal Sisi, was accused of ordering the police and the armed forces to clear protesters from Rabaa Square, leading to bloodshed. In a night in which more than 900 were killed. Many countries expressed concern and even long-time ally America stopped its military aid to Egypt.
However, in the 2014 elections, Mr. Sisi contested the presidency, winning 96.91% of the vote. The startling, if controversial, mandate led to a change in Egypt’s relations with the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited an Egyptian leader for the first time, once for the India-Africa Summit in 2015, again in 2016 for a full state visit, and last week as the chief guest of the Republic Day parade, and the President Met Sissy. Honor has been given.
During the visit, Mr. Sisi and Mr. Modi upgraded ties between the two countries to a strategic partnership, and Indian officials discussed closer defense ties, including providing equipment and platforms to Egypt, which Egyptian officials discussed with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. drew comparisons to the 1960s collaboration between Nehru and President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Mr. Sisi is seen as a consummate statesman with global powers, and has struck a careful balance between the West on the one hand and Russia and China on the other, taking a position similar to India’s on the Ukraine conflict. Egypt’s ties with Israel have traditionally been closer than those with the rest of the Arab world since the 1979 Camp David Accords, and Mr. Sisi spoke about Egypt-Israel military cooperation on fighting cross-border terrorism in the Sinai Peninsula. Have spoken publicly, which is an important thing. Tal in India. PM Modi and President Sisi have reportedly forged close ties during their meetings, and the latter is set to return for a fourth visit later this year, as India named Egypt as one of its special invitees to the G20 summit. designated.
As well as international stature and ease with global leaders, Mr. Sisi has also received growing criticism for his authoritarian rule of Egypt, which co-opted alpha-leaders alongside the “strongman” leadership seen during the 2010s. went. In democracies around the world from America to Britain, Brazil, Poland, Hungary, India and Pakistan. In step with trends, Mr. Sisi’s government not only targeted religious extremists, but also journalists, women, gay rights activists, NGOs, human rights groups and comedians.
“The army has 60 years of experience,” Bassem Youssef, a satirist who shot to fame during the Tahrir Square protests for his caricatures of Mubarak and Morsi, told the BBC in 2018 after relocating to the US fearing arrest. “The difference between the Army and the Muslim Brotherhood is that one tried to stop my shows and eliminate me, and could not; And someone tried and succeeded because of experience.
Mr. Sisi rejected the allegations when asked by the US channel CBS on the show ’60 Minutes’. “We are dealing with radicals and extremists who harmed and killed people in the past years. I cannot ask the Egyptian people to forget their rights or the police and civilians who died. However, the image stuck.
‘Favourite Dictator’
In 2019, US President Donald Trump reportedly went to a meeting with Mr. Sisi on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Biarritz, France, and asked the media, “Where is my favorite dictator?” Despite the moniker, Mr Sisi’s popularity with Egypt’s professional classes has only grown, as has a promise of Egyptian pride, secular traditions and a focus on the economy in line with “Egypt Vision 2030”.
Mr Sisi has also impressed many with his infrastructure expansion – including smooth new highways, the expansion of the Suez Canal and the construction of a new capital 50 km from Cairo. In 2021, he invited the world’s elite to a grand show at the newly built billion-dollar museum, where 22 mummies of Egyptian kings and queens were moved from the old museum in a grand cavalcade called the “Golden Parade of the Pharaohs” , which circled Tahrir Square. , and said “the grand spectacle was further evidence of the greatness of a unique civilization that extends into the depths of history”.
Some have questioned the spending of Mr. Sisi’s lavish projects, especially as Egypt had to apply for an IMF rescue package to deal with its economic crisis. While Mr. Sisi himself rejects any comparison with the pharaoh, he presents his unassailable iron grip on the country as a force that has provided stability to Egypt.
And which is also a sign of the times – Tahrir Square, once the site of world-famous protests, has been repainted in military khaki colors and rebuilt by Mr. Sisi to hold a Pharaonic-era obelisk. It is also off limits to tourists, as armed policemen have been ordered to ensure that visitors do not stay there for too long, or regroup.