Porkins Policy Radio episode 93 What Ever Happened to Egypt with Caram Kapp

Today I am joined by friend of the show Caram Kapp. Caram was last on episode 42 The Homeland Hackers, and returns to discuss the Egyptian uprising six years later. We start off by discussing the basics of the uprising and some of the behind the scenes actors. Caram explains his own experiences as an Egyptian, and as someone who was there on the ground around this time. We touch on the rumors of Western manipulation and how some of these allegations have overshadowed the real life grievances of the Egyptian populace and their reasons for wanting to get rid of Mubarak. Caram and I then move onto the two most important actors of the revolution (The Muslim Brotherhood and the Army) and how they became the ultimate arbiters of the revolution. Caram talks about his time in Cairo just after Brotherhood leader Muhammad Morsi was elected. Caram describes the parallels between Morsi and his brief tenure as president to that of Donald Trump. We talk about similarities in both personality and demeanor, as well as the ways in which Morsi represented “change” and ran on a campaign of making “Egypt Great Again.” Caram and I also discuss the notion that Morsi or those around him were well aware of the realities and influence of the Egyptian military, and understood that they may have been used as a stopgap to put the military back in place.
We expand on this more in the second hour exploring other parallels between Trump, Morsi, and current Egyptian President al-Sisi. Caram and I look at the ways in which al-Sisi and Trump have managed to normalize the military and the police, even when engaging in extreme behavior. Later Caram and I look at some of the recent geopolitical developments in Egypt and how they mirror actions here in the US. We look at the escalating tensions between Sudan and Egypt over the contested Halayeb Triangle and how this mimics Trump’s rhetoric against Mexico. Caram and I also discuss the current state of Egyptian media which like the revolution has returned right back to where it started. Caram and I finish off by looking at where Egypt may be headed and why it has lost influence within the Arab world, and has become one of the forgotten aspects of the Arab Spring.
https://porkinspolicyreview.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/ppr-episode-93-what-ever-happened-to-egypt-with-caram-kapp.mp3
Download PPR episode 93
Show Notes:
@dot_seekay
Caramblogage
Walls of Freedom
Spring Lessons
PPR episode 42 The Homeland Hackers
Egypt sentences Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed al-Badie to 25 years in prison
Court postpones retrial of Morsi, MB leaders to May 17
New photo of Mubarak from inside his residence in Helioplis
Despite talk of good relations, security concerns darken Egypt-Sudan ties
Egyptian troops shoot at Sudanese miners near borders: offical
Under the radar: Is this the stage for Africa’s next war?
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