Sisi regime insulted by critical Economist articles
Egypt's foreign ministry defends Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's economic record and political mandate against 'disgraceful' Economist article series on Egypt.
3 min read
09 Aug, 2016
The cover of the 'insulting' edition of the economist [Egypt MFA blog]
Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has hit back at a series of articles published in The Economist entitled 'The Ruining of Egypt' with a similarly titled article called 'The Ruining of the Economist'.
Writing on the MFA's official blog, spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid wrote that he was "shocked and surprised" by the latest issue of the Economist, which ran with the 'Ruining of Egypt' theme on its front cover.
"One would expect from the Economist to provide objective, informed analysis that focuses on evaluating and assessing the merits of Egypt's economic policies over the past few months," Abu Zeid wrote.
"Instead, the Economist's articles eschew any semblance of objective analysis, focusing instead on spewing insults at the person of Egypt's President. It's indeed deplorable, and even disgraceful.." he continued.
The blog goes on to defend the seizure of power by then-general Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in 2013 from Egypt's first democratically elected president Mohamad Morsi, hitting back at the widely-held belief the move had constituted a military coup.
"In line with this biased stereotype, the magazine claims that President Sisi came to power through a 'coup', completely disregarding the will of the Egyptian people, who demonstrated in the millions for the removal of the Muslim Brotherhood Morsi, or the millions who voted in favour of the election of President Sisi in a landslide victory" the blog article claims.
Abu Zeid also attempts to defend Egypt's economic performance under Sisi - who has overseen a period characterised by a sharp decline in tourism, a crippling dollar shortage and a significantly weakened Egyptian pound.
According to the spokesman, The Economist's claim that Egypt's ailing economy is being sustained by cash injections form the Gulf and the US "could not be farther from the truth," despite the country recently seeking the Middle East's largest IMF loan.
The tirade against the international current affairs magazine ends with an indignant declaration that for Egypt, "it is quite clear who out friends are, and whose support we can count on" which is followed by an accusation that "the Economist has chosed to take sides with those bent on undermining Egypt".
The Economist, however, is not the only publication taking Sisi's economic performance to account, as many other observers and experts have called into question the capabilities of Egypt's general-turned-statesman.
The pressure that Egypt's president is under to defend his economic decision making has become more apparent in recent weeks, with Sisi recently alluding to the idea that the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood was behind a persistent campaign to cast doubt on the economic worthiness of several mega projects his government has undertaken.
Writing on the MFA's official blog, spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid wrote that he was "shocked and surprised" by the latest issue of the Economist, which ran with the 'Ruining of Egypt' theme on its front cover.
"One would expect from the Economist to provide objective, informed analysis that focuses on evaluating and assessing the merits of Egypt's economic policies over the past few months," Abu Zeid wrote.
"Instead, the Economist's articles eschew any semblance of objective analysis, focusing instead on spewing insults at the person of Egypt's President. It's indeed deplorable, and even disgraceful.." he continued.
The blog goes on to defend the seizure of power by then-general Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in 2013 from Egypt's first democratically elected president Mohamad Morsi, hitting back at the widely-held belief the move had constituted a military coup.
"In line with this biased stereotype, the magazine claims that President Sisi came to power through a 'coup', completely disregarding the will of the Egyptian people, who demonstrated in the millions for the removal of the Muslim Brotherhood Morsi, or the millions who voted in favour of the election of President Sisi in a landslide victory" the blog article claims.
Abu Zeid also attempts to defend Egypt's economic performance under Sisi - who has overseen a period characterised by a sharp decline in tourism, a crippling dollar shortage and a significantly weakened Egyptian pound.
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The tirade against the international current affairs magazine ends with an indignant declaration that "the Economist has chosed to take sides with those bent on undermining Egypt |  |
The tirade against the international current affairs magazine ends with an indignant declaration that for Egypt, "it is quite clear who out friends are, and whose support we can count on" which is followed by an accusation that "the Economist has chosed to take sides with those bent on undermining Egypt".
The Economist, however, is not the only publication taking Sisi's economic performance to account, as many other observers and experts have called into question the capabilities of Egypt's general-turned-statesman.
The pressure that Egypt's president is under to defend his economic decision making has become more apparent in recent weeks, with Sisi recently alluding to the idea that the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood was behind a persistent campaign to cast doubt on the economic worthiness of several mega projects his government has undertaken.
"What is being done to you, Egyptians, is an attempt to defeat your will," Sisi said in a televised address from the Suez Canal city of Ismailia on Saturday. "The objective of all the doubting is to undermine every achievement and strike at the will of the people. But it is an impossible task."
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