Posted on 06/05/2012 11:17:11 AM PDT by Olog-hai
It has been 45 years since Egypt and its Arab allies were defeated by Israel in the Six Day War.
The defeat led to the occupation of Egyptian and other Arab land, including East Jerusalem. An equally troubling outcome was the eventual retreat of calls for a strong civil state, which Egyptian president Gamal Abdel-Nasser had been working towards in the decade prior to the defeat.
"Ultimately, we ended up with a scenario in which the nation was faced with two choices: the power of the military or the power of political Islam," said novelist Naim Sabri in an interview with Ahram Online. "This was not immediate, but inevitable."
Sabri's novels, including his famous Shubra, examine the deep and often disturbing change in Egyptian society over recent decades. The starting point is usually the eve of Egypt's 1952 Revolution, which brought the monarchy to an end and launched a republic in which the military would play a central role.
A clear theme in Sabri's work is the changing role of religion in society, from a spiritual exercise in the 1950s and 1960s to a socio-economic one later on, which not only contributed little to society's evolution but actually ended up fostering intellectual stagnation.
"The 1967 defeat led to a loss of hope and aspiration; it was a moment of despair when society was searching for any exit, hence the turn to political Islam," Sabri said. …
(Excerpt) Read more at english.ahram.org.eg ...
Egypt is reeling because it's Islamic, which can do nothing other than what it was designed to do - destroy everything it touches, including it's own people.
Hell, they’re still angry they got kicked out of Spain 500+ years ago.
do not expect to ever have peace with such people.
I remember the ‘67 war well. As I recall, the hottest product to come out of that conflict were backup lights for Egyptian tanks...
Maybe if Egypt had left the Jews alone they wouldn’t have had to cry over losing.
I wouldn’t take an all-expenses paid vacation to Egypt now. There is no one there that would dare protect an American or a Christian.
And Israel will kick their ass again, should they try anything.
This essay claims Sadat used Islamist movements to fight leftists in Egypt. I think he’s got it reversed. Sadat used Muslim imagery to calm the troglodyte Islamist masses whose numbers had expanded massively even as the irreligious cosmopolites populating the cities were having too much fun to procreate in significant numbers. A shifting demography is why we’re now having to deal with the dominance of Islamists across the Muslim world. Could the country’s economy have been managed better under a democracy? Who knows? India was a basket case for most of the period since independence despite being a democracy. China has lapped India in economic development despite being near the bottom of the per capita GDP rankings when economic reform began in 1979.
“Maybe if Egypt had left the Jews alone they wouldn’t have had to cry over losing.”
If they left the Jews alone in 1948, there wouldn’t be an Israel today. My dad told me many years ago that the way to destroy the Jewish people was to leave them alone. They would intermarry, lose their traditions and eventually would become secular.
Which of course explains the Socialist Jews wandering the planet.
“And Israel will kick their ass again, should they try anything.”
Amen, praise the Lord and pass the nukes.
The writer’s point is a valid one - that man does not live on bread alone. Pride is important. He suggests that when the secular military establishment that ruled Egypt was unable to properly chastise Israel in retaliation for the 1967 defeat, Egyptians turned to Allah, seeking divine intervention. I think the writer’s wrong to say that Sadat emphasized Islamism to help fight leftists. It was Islamists, not leftists, who repeatedly tried to assassinate Sadat. Sadat was merely throwing them a few crumbs to appease them. He found out, too late, that they are religious sociopaths and essentially unappeasable. I think the author of this piece also understates the effects of secular city-dwellers having far fewer children than the religious zealots out in the boondocks.
Egypt Military Strength
Egypt Military Strength Detail by the numbers.
PERSONNEL
Total Population: 82,079,636 [2011] Available Manpower: 41,157,220 [2011] Fit for Service: 35,305,381 [2011] Of Military Age: 1,532,052 [2011] Active Military: 468,500 [2011] Active Reserve: 479,000 [2011]
LAND ARMY
Total Land Weapons: 51,965 Tanks: 3,980 [2012] APCs / IFVs: 8,745 [2012] Towed Artillery: 2,760 [2012] SPGs: 965 [2012] MLRSs: 1,601 [2012] Mortars: 10,334 [2011] AT Weapons: 23,590 [2011] AA Weapons: 4,195 [2012] Logistical Vehicles: 57,235
AIR POWER
Total Aircraft: 884 [2011] Helicopters: 306 [2011] Serviceable Airports: 86 [2011]
RESOURCES
Oil Production: 662,600 bbl/Day [2012] Oil Consumption: 740,000 bbl/Day [2012] Proven Reserves: 4,400,000,000 bbl/Day [2012]
Partial Sources: Central Intelligence Agency
View the US Military Pay Chart LOGISTICAL
Labor Force: 26,200,000 [2012] Roadway Coverage: 65,050 km Railway Coverage: 5,083 km
FINANCIAL (USD)
Defense Budget: $7,150,000,000 [2011] Reserves of Foreign Exchange & Gold: $35,790,000,000 [2012] Purchasing Power: $497,800,000,000 [2011]
GEOGRAPHIC
Waterways: 3,500 km Coastline: 2,450 km Square Land Area: 1,001,450 km Shared Border: 2,665 km
NAVAL POWER
Total Navy Ships: 221 Merchant Marine Strength: 66 [2011] Major Ports & Terminals: 7 Aircraft Carriers: 0 [2012] Destroyers: 0 [2012] Submarines: 4 [2012] Frigates: 9 [2012] Patrol Craft: 130 [2012] Mine Warfare Craft: 28 [2012] Amphibious Assault Craft: 20 [2012]
The war you started and lost was almost half a century ago. Just look at you, sitting there crying like a little wuss. I have a good mind to slap your face. Get over it, learn something new, and DO something with your lives you lazy sacks of crap.
Signed,
Japan.
If they're as well-provisioned as the Israelis were during the Yom Kippur War, they need to win any war within 7 days. Because that's right about when they'll need to get parts and ammo for all of that American hardware, which won't be forthcoming because they're attacking Israel. They also have to factor the certainty of US intervention if it looks like Israel is at risk of being overrun. The aerial interdiction of Egyptian supply lines by USAF and USN aircraft would lead to a re-run of Yom Kippur, when Israeli troops threatened Cairo.
There’s also the fact that the Egyptian government is going through a Greek-like economic crisis without the EU to bail it out. In addition, it wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of that American equipment is collecting dust. Maintenance and training are expensive, due to fuel, ammo and parts costs. It wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of that budget has gone towards fancy homes, cars and foreign bank accounts, given how allergic Muslim governments are to accounting audits at any level. Bottom line is that I don’t think Egypt is prepared for war.
1. Sadat's brilliant attack across the Suez Canal through the Bar-Lev defensive line and his subsequent repulsion of the Israeli counterattack was a significant revival of Egyptian self-esteem. It took Ariel Sharon's penetration back across the Suez Canal toward Cairo to finally end hostilities.
2. It was rabidly militant Islamists who were furious at Sadat's peace with Israel who murdered Sadat. Sadat didn't found a religious government, he was assassinated by the Muslim Brotherhood and their coreligionists.
3. Gamal Abdel Nasser wasn't interested in a Republic of Egypt: he wanted to be the Great Arab Leader, hence he founded the United Arab Republic with himself as the sovereign leader.
Creative fiction is a specialty of that part of the world.
Want to but an Egyptian tank? Brand new condition except reverse gear is burned out. We also have Egyptian Army rifles, only dropped once!
Regards,
GtG
PS I remember '67 as well, after the 6 day war (springtime) I was getting ready to graduate from college when Milwaukee was hit w/ a race riot that put most of Milwaukee County on 'lock-down'. August was hot that year...
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