Egypt at the crossroads

On 23-24 November a seminar was held on contemporary Egypt, jointly organised by CIDOB and the Arab Forum for Alternatives. The seminar was structured in a dual format: a public debate and a closed doors session that featured the participation of Egyptian and international experts. The public debate was titled Whither Egypt?. Among those attempting to answer this question were Amr El Shoubaki, President of the Arab Forum for Alternatives and Gema Martín Múñoz, Director of Casa Árabe. Firstly, in order to facilitate understanding of the dynamics affecting Egypt's current situation, Amr El Shoubaki familiarised the audience with the reforms and transformations that Egypt has been undergoing, mainly since the 1952 revolution.

 Likewise, he highlighted the Egyptian political map, describing both the reformist actors and those who resist any change. Gema Martín, meanwhile, tackled the internal dimension, Egypt’s role in the regional dynamic and the stances adopted by Europe and the international community with respect to Egypt's future. She called for the inclusion of all the actors into the political map, and for the need to grant a key role to the political reforms the country needs to implement.

During the debate, the main topics were Mubarak’s succession, secularisation and the inclusion of the Muslim brotherhood into the political map. 

During the seminar, the invited experts attempted to answer what is understood by reforms and who the actors were in favour and against change in today's Egypt. They analysed Egypt's political, economic and social dynamics, as well as the influence of external factors. It was concluded that there was a need to promote a transformation that should emanate from Egyptian society itself, and that links should be forged between the reformist sectors of the regime and political and social protest leaders. Other subjects tackled were the ambivalent role that international pressures might have, and the need for the opening-up process to be the result of endogenous dynamics. Furthermore, attention was paid to the role played by the religious factor, the imperative need to improve education and learning, as well as the need for greater involvement and commitment among young people.