Middle East Seminar: Day 2

The drive here reminded me of the past trips I've had to the Middle East while in the Navy except on a much larger scale. 

Once you've encountered it, you never forget the true meaning of absolute poverty. Thousands of Shanties built on top of dilapidated buildings stand in stark contrast to the opulent palaces built literally across the  street. It's such a surreal sight. 

I've always held the belief that a person cannot truly appreciate the blessings of America until they have traveled abroad. There is a reason why Ronald Reagan called our country the "shining city upon a hill."

The same man, President Mubarak, has ruled Egypt for 28 years. He was "democratically" elected. We met with Egypt's International Economic Forum where the message about U.S. Aid (which President Bush cut in half last year) was:

1. Can Egypt get an increase?

2. Stop telling Egypt how to spend it.

3. Stop harping on Egypt about Human Rights and the idea of true democracy -- they will move at their own pace towards both of those ends.

Our time in Egypt is about up and we will be leaving for Israel soon. I really hope we find some time to visit the pyramids. 

Middle East Seminar with Aspen Institute: Day 1

Utter exhaustion. After 32 hours of travel, we arrived in Cairo late Sunday night. Our first meeting was with Ambassador Margaret Scobey: a woman with a lifelong career in the State Department and extremely knowledgeable in foreign affairs. 

Egypt is such an interesting country with several unique identities. The largest Arab country on Earth (and by far one of the most influential) they balance this by competing with South Africa as leaders of the African continent along with their own storied legacy of Egyptian accomplishments. Cairo has 25 million people and their lifeline is the Nile. Their interests are driven not only by religious and cultural allegiances, but also by geographic needs. Bordering the Gaza strip requires constant diplomacy with the Israelis and a willingness to work with their government. The election of Netanyahu leaves many questions especially on a two state solution.

Darfur is also on their border. Over 1 million refugees have fled to this already crowded country and Egypt has a peacekeeping presence in Darfur to help prevent any more. Tourism and the Suez Canal are the two main sources of revenue and their banks are extremely conservative benefitting the country greatly in the current global economic climate.