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Military and Political Power in Face of COVID-19

acy of Armed Forces’ involvement in political and economic activities, without upsetting the quality of the civil government work in public sectoThe infinite number of local crises instigated by the COVID-19 pandemic renewed the old debate on the political and economic role of the armed forces, within the civil state. This ongoing debate has been exploring the sweet spot of balance between the two political principles of “the democratic control of armed forces” versus “the untraditional roles of armed forces.” That is the question on the legitimr, and without hurting market economy and competitiveness among private sector businesses.
The current dynamics of the unique relationship between the military institution and civil government in Egypt is an excellent arena to explore this debate. The vast scope of political power and economic autonomy enjoyed by the military institution did not delay state’s quest to democratic development, as much as it contributed to enhancing the mission of the civil government to provide citizens with basic goods and services, while crushing threats to state’s security and welfare. Armed forces’ state of autonomy, at least in Egypt’s case, has proven to be a safety valve in the times of crises and a parallel vein for economic growth in the times of affluence.
Since the beginning of the Coronavirus crisis, in Egypt, in late February, the government has spared no endeavor to contain the biological crisis and reduce its economic and political consequences on the lives of ordinary citizens. In contrast, the private sector businesses failed to aid the government in managing the crisis. They deliberately abused the state of panic among the people to increase their profits by practicing monopoly over basic medical and food commodities. Even worse, some famous businesspersons blamed the government for forcing a lockdown to preserve peoples’ lives. One Egyptian business tycoon said in a recent press interview that he would rather “see some people die than seeing the country going through bankruptcy as a result of the economic paralysis.”
It did not take long for the armed forces to intervene to settle this clash between public and private sectors and reassure the panicked citizens. On the first week of April, President El-Sisi met with senior leaders of the armed forces, and the meeting was broadcast live on national television. The purpose of the meeting was to showcase the measures taken by the Armed Forces’ National Service Projects Organization (NSPO) to assist the civil government throughout this crisis, while halting private sector monopoly over food and medical commodities. At the end of the meeting, President El-Sisi, addressing his speech to the public citizens, stated that the purpose of this review is to “explore the readiness of the armed forces to assist the civil government in this crisis, and to assure the Egyptians that there is a ‘parallel arrangement’ ready to satisfy people’s needs.”
This is not the first time for the armed forces to intervene to save Egyptians in times of economic or political crises. Some examples, to list a few, are the military bias to people’s political will in 2013 revolution against the Muslim Brotherhood regime, and in 2011 revolution against Mubarak regime. Even before that, under the long decades of Mubarak’s rule, the military played a tremendous role in keeping strong ties with international allies outside the diplomacy of the dictator regime, and in providing economic relief for the people, in compensation to the failure of the corrupt government; as for example, in the 1992 crisis of a rare earthquake and the 2008 crisis of the lack of bread.
Also, this is not the first time for the private sector businesses to abuse national crises in manipulating the market for their profit. In the early days of applying the economic reform plan, in 2016, the private sector doubled and tripled the prices of commodities for no clear reason. As a result, a large number of middle class families were threatened to lose their purchase power and fall into poverty. However, the armed forces’ NSPO intervened, just on the right time, to provide basic commodities to the public for fair prices, saving the majority of citizens from an ill fate caused by private sector greediness.
Rather than appreciating the role of the military institution in enhancing Egypt’s economy, the private sector tycoons and some academic experts indulge into blaming the military institution for the incompetency of the private sector. They claim that military’s NSPO providing products to the market is putting private businesses’ products in a situation of unfair competition. That is due to the cheaper prices that give NSPO’s commodities a competitive advantage over the private sector’s over-priced commodities. In response, President El-Sisi announced, in November, that the armed forces’ NSPO is willing to offer shares of its affiliated companies, through the Egyptian Exchange Market, for interested investors from the private sector. Instead of seizing the opportunity to refresh their businesses and boost the market, many business-owners marked the president’s initiative as an attempt to shed the military umbrella over the private sector.
This ongoing academic, and mostly-theoretical, debate on the feasibility and legitimacy of armed forces’ political and economic autonomy does not appear to come to a clear conclusion soon. Likewise, Egypt’s economic conflict of interests between the military institution and civil government, on one side, versus the private sector businesses, on the other side, does not seem to be settled in the near future. However, most of the citizens, in most countries, highly appreciate, through practical experience, the significance of the untraditional roles of the armed forces, alongside the civil government, in times of crises as much as in times of abundance.
by : Dalia Ziada
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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