It will be really just left the scene of President Hosni Mubarak to turn the page to the Arab Republic of Egypt?
The answer can not be negative. The dictator, in fact, is just the tip of an enormous iceberg, that of a military leadership that the president has cuddled, fed, made to enrich the course of three decades. Between Mubarak and his generals of osmosis that a relationship exists, between economic and political interests shared, so it's hard to imagine the survival of one without the other.
not surprising that in Egypt, the taboo of the fallen president's health, even after 18 days of popular protests do not talk openly of economic interests in uniform: the military, the real leaders of the country, remained always in the shadows, leaving to others the secret services, the task of getting your hands dirty and attract the hatred of opponents. Even today, the army enjoys the esteem of the population, who consider it non-partisan. But soon, you can bet, the public will begin to peek into the pockets of its military leaders and demand an explanation.
It is believed that at least 45% of the Egyptian economy is controlled by the army, which over the years has received a 'gift' land, factories, real estate and industrial complexes across the country. The military has not only enjoyed the proceeds of the defense industry - with orders mind-boggling, in the '80s, Saddam Hussein, Kuwait, Somalia and Sudan, in particular - but also to civil liability.
Here, then, that the armed forces derive income from the food industry, textile, manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, from construction, from steel mills and cement factories, the health sector and that of the hydrocarbons without ever being required to disclose its financial statements: everything passes under the large umbrella of the Secret State. Once retired from the army, commanders and generals assume prestigious government posts or convert to business in the major industrial companies, often state-owned privatized sometimes.
An interweaving of business, politics and security that closely resembles the American model, to which Egypt is an emanation in the Arab world each year, a flood of U.S. dollars (1.3 billion) from flowing into the coffers of Washington Cairo to finance stability dell'alleato Arabic, considered crucial to the quiet life of Israel. Money in the Egyptian citizens do not even see the shadow, because it goes directly to the Ministry of Defense and military production (about 42,000 employees) is at least € 250 million annual net profit from continuing civilians. The ministerial budget, excluding U.S. aid, is 6 billion dollars.
the tenth largest in the world size (between 400,000 and 450,000 enrolled him, while many reservists would be), the Egyptian armed forces are divided into army, navy, air force and air force, plus paramilitary forces. Finally, the central security forces and border, but are under the Ministry of Interior.
Now the task for the Egyptian military, paradoxically, to drive a quantum shift towards a more civil and less militarized force that game in question will jeopardize the interests and resize the role. In part, the Defense Minister Mohammed Tantawi seems to have already proven to be the right man, he is known as the "dog" Mubarak until a few days ago, did not hesitate, according to rumors, to criticize the president with the American counterpart. And that they will jump off the train before it derailed.
Future, February 12, 2011
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