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  • The Generals in Their LabyrinthThe rise of Egypt’s military celebrities
  • Mona Abo-Issa (bio)

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MONA ABO-ISSA

A general explains a 1973 espionage mission at the Mohamed Ali Citadel.

General Tolba Radwan smokes another cigarette and watches from behind dark glasses as his entourage of fans squeeze in for selfies with Egypt’s latest military wonder. The general, now 70, is annoyed. When he was 26, he commanded dozens of soldiers on suicidal missions to defend his country. [End Page 23] Now, he takes crowds of camera-toting families on battlefield tours. Behind Tolba burbles the New Suez Canal, a 22-mile-long tributary whose construction was spearheaded by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. The zinc-colored water cuts through the desert, which is bare except for the occasional “Long Live Egypt” mosaic and palm tree sticking out of the haze. The Suez Canal proper has belonged to the army since Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized it in 1956, and it is more than just the republic’s pride—the 150-year-old waterway is the fastest shipping route between Europe and Asia, and Egypt’s main source of hard currency, bringing in about $3 billion a year. After Egypt plunged into an economic nosedive following the collapse of Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year regime, the New Canal promised to double the Suez’s revenue in less than a decade. While previous presidents had failed to raise sufficient funds for the extension, el-Sissi collected $8 billion in 10 days as Egyptians flocked to buy canal investment certificates. More than 25,000 Egyptian workers were hired to extract over 260 million tons of sand. In a way, it was a nostalgic assertion of independence. At a lavish inaugural celebration in 2015, the president, clad in military regalia, sailed down the canal below fighter planes tracing hearts in the sky. The country went into a nationalistic delirium. Three years later, it is still a popular destination. Several times a year, retired officials like Tolba lead trips to the canal and the battlefields beyond it, arranged by civilian associations that promote the army. Egypt is in an age of military idolization, and generals are its national heroes. Back in the eastern city of Ismailia, selfies finally over, Tolba stubs out his last cigarette and boards the bus to cross the canal.

This country has been dreaming a soldier’s dream since 1952, when a coup toppled the monarchy and inaugurated what, until 2012, was an unbroken line of president-generals. The ambitions of such leaders have historically been formed at least partly in response to Israel, Egypt’s regional rival. Altogether, Egypt has fought four wars with Israel: in 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973. Most older Egyptians have strong memories of 1967, when Israel launched a surprise attack on Egyptian airfields, catching Nasser’s pilots off guard. Within six days, Israel had destroyed most of the Egyptian air force, occupied the Sinai Peninsula, and seized east Jerusalem and the West Bank from the Jordanians. It also captured Syria’s Golan Heights. Suddenly, Egypt’s powerful position among post-imperial states in the region receded. The republic sank into mass depression.

The generation of generals who had been conscripted into fulfilling Nasser’s grand visions of modernizing the republic and prevailing over its enemies were stunned by this defeat. National morale remained low until 1969, when these troops were outfitted with Soviet supplies and sent back to the front lines. Officers like Tolba, who had bitter memories of 1967, were tasked with reclaiming both Sinai and the republic’s lost dignity. They did both in late October 1973, when the Egyptian army managed to cross Israel’s formidable Bar Lev defensive line along the eastern bank of the Suez Canal and lay claim to the territory. This was the fire that forged the 1973 generals. Tolba likes to recall how, with vengeance in their hearts, his men stormed the enemy outpost of Tabat Shagara.

The victory reestablished the army’s status in Egypt. Returning young officers were celebrated as conquering heroes and showered [End Page 24] with promotions, stipends, prestigious medals, lucrative state jobs, and...

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