Hosni Mu-What? Huh?: A quick primer on the people, places, and events that got us to where we are

A number of my friends have been asking on Facebook for someone to offer them an intelligent opinion of what the heck is going on in Egypt right now. I hope none of you find it presumptuous if I assume that I might be able to offer such an opinion. And even if you do find it presumptuous, I hope you nevertheless read it so that you might have a better understanding of what exactly has been going on in the streets of Cairo and elsewhere in Egypt the last few days. This post will be followed by one which contains the observations I made about the state of affairs in Egypt upon my return from a semester in Cairo 18 months ago. Finally, once we’ve made it through all of that, I’ll sort through the events of the last few days, what I think it means, and what might happen.

But first, some historical background info…

The Free Officers: A group of young Egyptian army officers who were disenfranchised by the Egyptian monarchy’s close relationship with Great Britain and wanted Egyptian independence. Successfully overthrew the monarchy on July 23, 1952.

Gamal Abdul Nasser: (on the left in the picture, Sadat is on the right) One of the leaders of the Free Officers. Assumed the presidency of Egypt in 1954 and remained in the position until his death in 1970.


1967 (Six Day) War: Pre-emptive strike by Israel against its Arab neighbors. Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip (now Palestinian territory) from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the West Bank (also Palestinian territory) from Jordan.

Anwar Sadat: Nasser's vice-president, assumed the presidency upon his death. Was the leader of Egypt during the 1973 war and the signing of the Camp David Accords. Assassinated on October 6, 1981 by Islamic fundamentalists.

1973 (Yom Kippur) War: Egypt's attempt to recapture the Sinai Peninsula. Despite initial successes, Egypt began losing ground against the Israelis. Shuttle diplomacy by Kissinger and Nixon led to a brokered cease fire, the beginning of peace talks, and a lot of American aid being sent Egypt's way.

Camp David Accords (1979): Peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, gave Egypt the Sinai Peninsula back.

Hosni Mubarak: Sadat's vice-president, assumed the presidency upon his assassination. Has ruled Egypt ever since.

Emergency law: Enacted by Mubarak after Sadat's assassination, placed restrictions on freedom of speech, press, and the right to assemble. Renewed continuously ever since.

Omar Suleiman: Former head of the Mukhabarat, Egypt's internal security service. A close confidant of Mubarak's and fellow former Army officer. The Mukhabarat is responsible for monitoring domestic political opposition and occasionally makes people disappear if they become too vocal in their criticism of the regime. Suleiman was in charge of the effort to fight terrorism within Egypt in the 1990s and he now serves as the point man for critical issues in the Global War on Terror.

Muslim Brotherhood: The oldest Islamist organization in the world. Founded by Hasan al-Banna in Egypt in 1928. Officially illegal in Egypt, but allowed to operate. Once violently opposed to the regime during Nasser's time, the Brotherhood has renounced violence and has occasionally been allowed to run for parliament.

Syndicates: Professional unions, once corrupt but cleaned up and run efficiently during the 1980s under the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood.

November 18, 1997: 58 tourists and 4 Egyptian tour guides are massacred in Luxor by members of Islamic Jihad. This event turned popular opinion against violent fundamentalists in Egypt and crippled the Egyptian tourism industry for years.

2005: "Arab Spring," a reform initiative spear headed by the Bush administration with the hopes that more democracy, or at least democratization, would lead to less radicalism and anti-American sentiment. In a speech at the American University in Cairo in June of that year, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, "For 60 years, the United States pursued stability at the expense of democracy in the Middle East -- and we achieved neither." Parliamentary elections in Egypt that year were moderately less corrupt, but voting irregularities and voter intimidation were still widely reported.

Gamal Mubarak: Son of Hosni, a former investment banker in London. The Western-educated Gamal is widely considered to be his father's successor as President.

Thus concludes our quick trip through the last six decades of Egyptian history. Next up, my observations, post-Egypt...if 18 months late.