It’s the economy

Bloodshed and revolts have filled Egypt’s streets since the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. But the root of Egypt’s hardships is economic. A majority of Egypt’s population lives in poverty with high unemployment and incessant corruption.

The Middle East Institute conference on Egypt last Friday included a panel, moderated by Woodrow Wilson Center and U. S. Institute of Peace Joint Scholar Robin Wright, focused on meeting the needs of the Egyptian people. The discussion featured Hossam Bahgat from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Mirette Mabrouk from the Atlantic Council, Jawad Nabulsi from the Nebny Foundation, and Diane Singerman from American University.

Bahgat said progress can only be made with structural political reform, rather than a merry go round of regime changes. This merry go round began with the ouster of President Mubarak in 2011. After Mubarak’s fall, the mililtary took charge.  Then the Muslim Brotherhood won elections, which brought a form of Islamic democracy, nonetheless theocratic. A year later, frustrated with Morsi and the Brotherhood, another popular movement swept them from power, with the Army playing a crucial role. But there is a clear lack of accountability and reform in the Egyptian government.

Nabulsi said that helping the average Egyptian gain economic stature is the way to win the Arab Street and ultimately the region’s hearts and minds. A participant in the first Egyptian revolution, he and a group of fellow revolutionaries started the Nebny Foundation, which works to improve the lives of Egyptians following the uprising by promoting, educating, enabling and empowering youth to actively participate in shaping Egypt’s economy.  While the political parties might be working towards building a new government, none of them have the answer to how they are going to change the lives of the everyday Egyptian. By living in Manshiyat Nasser, one of Cairo’s biggest slum neighborhoods, for three days every week, Nabulsi has developed a keen understanding of what it would take to help ordinary Egyptians and their families.

Nabulsi also described two aspects of life in Egypt that worsen the nation’s economic struggles—the war of interests and the war of politics. The war of interests involves people whose financial welfare lies in keeping the current government structure. These people are content with widespread corruption and poverty. The corruption involves such acts as teachers filing phony police reports on people who undermine them by building schools that provide cheaper education. The political war, on the other hand, is a conflict of branding. In Egypt, many people are written off because they do not have the “right” political values and affiliations.  Many businessmen and government officials refuse to work with Nabulsi because of his political ideals.

The Egyptian peoples’ anger with the current situation is clear, with many Egyptians in the audience expressing dismay at the state of their homeland. Mabrouk said that the Egyptians will only become angrier in the future, with much hardship ahead. With 25 percent poverty in urban Egypt and a mind-boggling 70 percent poverty in the rural areas, the country has a lot of hard work in its future. But first, many participants said, there must be political stability before the economy can be improved. Singerman said the path towards political stability starts with democratization, reform and elimination of the widespread corruption in local governments. Until this corruption is quashed and the huge gap between the lower class and the upper class is bridged, Egypt will remain in its current state of despair and volatility