In years past, the military institution had protected its economic assets and maintained de facto power without taking charge. But last year, in order to retain its economic rents, it took direct control of the state, and its involvement in the economy has since expanded through civil projects. These projects will deter the military from reducing its political involvement, leaving Egypt trapped in a system where the Egyptian military’s economic interests demand ever greater political control. Though the military has played a role in the Egyptian economy since 1979, when U.S. aid money flowed in as a result of the peace treaty with Israel, Anwar Sadat ensured the military’s economic role then was apolitical. In the years since, the Egyptian military has leveraged its monopoly over large tracts of land and its supply of low-wage conscripts to develop successful enterprises. By the end of Mubarak’s tenure, the economic empire of the military institution had ballooned.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 02:20:00 +0000
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