The first democratically elected what? Corrupt tyrant?

Elections are for terms, not life! Moreover, the job description never ever includes nepotism or cronyism. Yes and to give credit, he created an excellent education system, just not the jobs the folk needed when they graduated! One doesn't need a PHD to serve drinks, wait on tables, drive cabs or camels.

Egypt has the nile and the suez canal and if well lead, could turn the egyptian desert from an arid wilderness into a veritable garden of eden,

All that endless sunshine could power myriad large scale solar thermal projects, which could in part power multiple desalination plants, which could be used in labour intensive underglass agriculture.

Egypt has some large cities that produce much biological waste, waste which could be turned into biogas indefinitely; and ultimately biodiesel and ethanol.

Money alone won't grow the economy, but energy and water can! Where all those wasted PHD's will come into their own?
Alan B.

Maybe I ought to do a follow up of my 2011 piece, Some facts about the Middle-East.

See:

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=11987&page=0

The Syrian civil war is arguably a consequence of the collapse of Syrian agriculture following a pro-longed drought. See:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/is-a-lack-of-water-to-blame-for-the-conflict-in-syria-72513729/?no-ist

>>In Syria, a devastating drought beginning in 2006 forced many farmers to abandon their fields and migrate to urban centers. There’s some evidence that the migration fueled the civil war there, in which 80,000 people have died. “You had a lot of angry, unemployed men helping to trigger a revolution,” says Aaron Wolf, a water management expert at Oregon State University, who frequently visits the Middle East.>>

Israel too seemed to be facing calamity in 2008. Their answer was technology. From Scientific American website:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/israel-proves-the-desalination-era-is-here/

Israel Proves the Desalination Era Is Here

>>In 2008, Israel teetered on the edge of catastrophe. A decade-long drought had scorched the Fertile Crescent, ....
[...]

Similar stories are playing out across the Middle East, where drought and agricultural collapse have produced a lost generation with no prospects and simmering resentments. Iran, Iraq and Jordan all face water catastrophes. Water is driving the entire region to desperate acts.

Except Israel. Amazingly, Israel has more water than it needs.....>>

So it goes.

That first link of Steven's says it all, almost.
Agriculturists have warned some time ago that the Nile can support
about 40 million people.
The population today is about 85 million.
It got to that level because Egypt was an oil exporter and was able to
subsidise its food import prices and fuel prices.
However their oil production peaked in 2000 and was down 50% the
last I read.
It was the increasing food prices that turffed out Mubarik, not some
news media pumpted up "Arab Spring". In fact the spring was running dry !

Somehow Egypt has to get rid of at least 45 million people.
Do I hear any offers ? Sometime they will take to the roads.
Israel is the first stop on the road. Perhaps they will go south
into Africa's middle countries. Perhaps to Europe.

Hey Inas!. You can't "reform" an economy where a population growth of 4% is not matched by a 4% increase in resources. Egypt is hideously overpopulated already and they still believe in having large families. What this means is that this once rich society is now doomed to everlasting poverty. With no hope of improvement in this life, it is hardly surprising that religious fanaticism which promises pie in the sky after death is increasing.

55% of Egyptians voted for a Taliban like government. Now, as a supporter of democracy, do I consider this a good thing? No, I don't. Once again, the Egyptian Army has done a Kamal Ataturk and wrested control of the country from the mullahs and imams. The Egyptian Army knows that a Taliban government, even an elected one, (one man, one vote, once) will make a bad thing a lot worse very quickly. But nothing can stop the inevitable slide of Egypt into hopeless and everlasting poverty except the smallpox virus.

Think of the Earth as a an organism, the human race as the pathogen, and the smallpox virus as the antibody.

If the smallpox virus does not save the earth, then it is imperative that every religious leader and political leader begin the process of mandatory birth control. The Pope and every Mullah should be shouting from their cathedrals and minarets that God/Allah has given them all revelation to tell the human race to reduce it's numbers.

Anyone who thinks that the answer to world poverty is for 3 billion sexually active and very fertile people to head for Europe and Australia needs their head read.

Agreed Lego and after millenniums of cousin marriage they may not have
the ability to manage any sort of transformation.
To make things worse they will take Islam with them.

It is a very dismal thought but is smallpox the only solution ?
The UN could perhaps load the Nile with contraceptives.
Would that be financially possible ?
I know the politically correct will be horrified at the trend of this
discussion and I can understand why.
However we are talking of survival here.
At present the Gulf states are supporting Egypt with money ie charity.
Saudi Arabia is already in a financial bind with no prospects other
than the situation getting worse, and how long can charity continue ?

Look at all the problems in Europe with 2 million turning up.
What happens with 45 million on the road ?

They could just be left to starve at home.
If a better answer is not found then it will left up to the army and airforce.
You think I am joking ? Better think again !