Egypt and Turkey

During his time in office, Morsi developed a close relationship with Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey. This political alliance has certainly raised many eyebrows within the leadership of the Egyptian Armed Forces. They were very much aware of the treatment reserved by Erdogan and his party to the Turkish generals and admirals and they could foresee the same kind of fate befalling on them, sooner or later. For many undecided top officers this growing proximity between Cairo and the party in power in Ankara became reason enough to convince them that inaction was no option. It would be rather a fatal mistake. 

Egypt: where are the leverage points?

Egypt is probably the most important country in the Arab world. Because of its size, the Suez Canal, its mixture of Muslim and Christian populations, its border with Israel and the Gaza Strip, its scholarly relevance, the relations with the US, the competition for political influence between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and so on.

For those reasons, the dramatic events of these days keep sending shock waves well beyond Egypt’s neighbourhood. And everyone, in all the key capitals, is looking for means to influence both sides in the country. But they have not been successful. The question that is in everyone minds is very clear: what could be the leverage points that might give weight to foreign pressure. And that question remains without an answer.