Egypt And The Loss Of a Dream, by Jamil Shawwa

Egypt, in its hopeless quest to reach the Mondial- Football-Soccer- World Cup in South Africa in 2010, lost the battle to Algeria in Sudan on 11/18/2009 1-0. The battle between the two teams turned ugly in the days preceding the final game in Sudan. The latest news coming out of Egypt, Algeria and Sudan that the these three Arab countries are recalling ambassadors and protesting various actions by the fans ranging from burning flags, attacking Egyptians businesses in the capitol of Algeria and attacks on Egyptians in Sudan to the claim that egyptions attacked the alegerian soccer team bus in Cairo. The news are not unique to the Middle East, Europe has a long history of fans from different countries doing destructions in countries when their favorite teams lose. The unique for Egypt in particular is that the dream to go to the world cup has been attached to Egypt's image and prestige notwithstanding its dignity. The people and the media were looking for something to uplift Egypt's deteriorating morals and its people loss of direction. The news coming out of Egypt for the past few years has been the battle to succeed the aging president Mubarak and the possible transition of power to his son Jamal. Jamal and Mubarak's other elder son Alaa went to Sudan to support the national team and they went back with the loss looming over their head. Egypt's loss will in my opinion have political consequences; it will awaken the country towards the need to bring the focus back. I watched the whole game in one of the Middle Eastern restaurants in the area here and saw with no doubt the inability of the Egyptian team to score and win not because they lack the expertise but because they lack the confidence. This has been the story of Egypt for a long time, the lack of confidence, not believing that it can win. Egypt is the largest Arab country with the most forward thinking; the best example is its peace with Israel long before the completely Arab world decided that it is the only way to resolve the Palestinian Israeli conflict. Since 1952, the year that the Egyptian Army toppled the rotten Monarchy and replaced it with a mixture of a military and socialist regime that Egypt lost its prestige. Egypt has the resources and the talent to be a leading country in the Middle East and to be an emerging developing country in the world such as China, and India but Egypt lacks one thing; the belief that it can make it, that it can win. The football, soccer match, showed Egypt's inability to score. The Egyptians work hard, but they cannot finish. Egypt needs a new leadership and it needs to lead the region in the quest for democracy as it did with the peace process.