.jpg) |
People celebrate after Egypt's retired army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
declared his candidacy for a presidential election, in Tahrir square in Cairo, March
26. Al-Sisi, the general who ousted Egypt's first freely elected leader,
declared his candidacy for a presidential election he is expected to win
easily. / Reuters-Yonhap
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Egyptian Ambassador to Korea Hany Selim sat down with
Professor Seo Jeong-min, dean of the Department of Middle East and African
Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, for a roundtable
interview at the Egyptian Embassy early this month. They discussed rising
terrorism after the Arab Spring and its implications for Korea, weeks after
Korean tourists were attacked by the militant Islamic group Ansar Beit
al-Maqudis. The interview was edited. ― ED.
Seo Jeong-min: A noticeable trend has been spotted in international terrorism in recent years -- terrorists began heading in a westward direction during and after the Arab Spring.
One pillar of international terrorism began in Iraq and it has been moving toward Syria where a bloody civil war is taking place.
The other pillar of international terrorism started from Yemen and has been heading toward Somalia, Sudan and then North Africa.
These two patterns have one thing in common -- that the central axis of international terrorism is going westward.
After the Arab Spring, North Africa has been emerging as a hotbed for international terrorist groups. The recent Taba attack where three Korean tourists were killed and 15 others were injured by an extreme Islamic terrorist group based in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, is an example showing westbound terrorism.
The characteristics of terrorism are also changing. I would say terrorism has become more individualized. What I mean with the individualization of terrorism is that only one or two people, such as suicide bombers, can deal a serious blow to a large number of people.
Another characteristic spotted in recent years is downloadable terrorism. One can easily find recipes for bombs on the Internet. Terrorists are also going after soft targets such as tourists.
Hany Selim: I do agree with Professor Seo regarding his observation that terrorism is moving in a western direction. One thing that I’d like to add is that Egypt had been safe before the Morsi regime took power. The regime brought terrorism to Egypt.
The lesson that we’ve learned from terrorism in the early 1990s in Egypt is that security and military techniques alone cannot remove the root causes. From my point of view, political transformation and economic development are also very important to contain terrorism.
Soft targets
Seo: Former President Mohamed Morsi officially supported such terrorist groups as Hamas and other extreme Islamist groups … Despite this, I am optimistic that the Egyptian government will be capable of containing terrorist groups in Sinai.
Selim: Yes, former President Morsi was primarily responsible for the rise in terrorist attacks in the Sinai Peninsula.
International militants and terrorist groups found a safe haven in the northern part of Egypt while Morsi was in power from June 2012 to July 2013. Currently there are six training camps for international terrorists in the northern part of Egypt.
Our new enemy, terrorism, poses a grave threat to the Egyptian economy because one of our most important sources of national revenue, which is tourism, was targeted by terrorists.
The terrorist attack against Korean tourists came weeks after most countries eased travel alerts on Egypt, as the situation there showed signs of being stabilized.
Seo Jeong-min: A noticeable trend has been spotted in international terrorism in recent years -- terrorists began heading in a westward direction during and after the Arab Spring.
One pillar of international terrorism began in Iraq and it has been moving toward Syria where a bloody civil war is taking place.
The other pillar of international terrorism started from Yemen and has been heading toward Somalia, Sudan and then North Africa.
These two patterns have one thing in common -- that the central axis of international terrorism is going westward.
After the Arab Spring, North Africa has been emerging as a hotbed for international terrorist groups. The recent Taba attack where three Korean tourists were killed and 15 others were injured by an extreme Islamic terrorist group based in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, is an example showing westbound terrorism.
The characteristics of terrorism are also changing. I would say terrorism has become more individualized. What I mean with the individualization of terrorism is that only one or two people, such as suicide bombers, can deal a serious blow to a large number of people.
Another characteristic spotted in recent years is downloadable terrorism. One can easily find recipes for bombs on the Internet. Terrorists are also going after soft targets such as tourists.
Hany Selim: I do agree with Professor Seo regarding his observation that terrorism is moving in a western direction. One thing that I’d like to add is that Egypt had been safe before the Morsi regime took power. The regime brought terrorism to Egypt.
The lesson that we’ve learned from terrorism in the early 1990s in Egypt is that security and military techniques alone cannot remove the root causes. From my point of view, political transformation and economic development are also very important to contain terrorism.
Soft targets
Seo: Former President Mohamed Morsi officially supported such terrorist groups as Hamas and other extreme Islamist groups … Despite this, I am optimistic that the Egyptian government will be capable of containing terrorist groups in Sinai.
Selim: Yes, former President Morsi was primarily responsible for the rise in terrorist attacks in the Sinai Peninsula.
International militants and terrorist groups found a safe haven in the northern part of Egypt while Morsi was in power from June 2012 to July 2013. Currently there are six training camps for international terrorists in the northern part of Egypt.
Our new enemy, terrorism, poses a grave threat to the Egyptian economy because one of our most important sources of national revenue, which is tourism, was targeted by terrorists.
The terrorist attack against Korean tourists came weeks after most countries eased travel alerts on Egypt, as the situation there showed signs of being stabilized.
Military
Seo: The role of the military has been significant in Egypt historically, and this explains why it now enjoys wide support from the Egyptian people. Compared with Korea, the general public’s attitude toward the military is very positive in Egypt.
Such a positive attitude has been shaped through a series of historic events where the military has played a pivotal role in Egypt.
Modernization of Egypt has been initiated by the military and it also played a critical role in nation-building after the nation gained independence. Its role actually goes back to the 18th century.
It was also the Egyptian military that ended the colonial rule and the legacy of the colonial period.
Selim: I fully agree with Professor Seo. His accurate analysis shows a big difference between people who have a first-hand experience of the country and have studied it for a long time and those who obtain information from international media outlets.
Yes, the army played a critical role in several historically significant events but they didn’t rule directly.
That’s why I am against the use of the term military rule in Egypt. The military is the only political power that can set the rules of the game for the Egyptian people after they ousted the former leader Morsi.
The military has the power but they are not ruling directly. The Egyptian government after the Arab Spring has been full of civilian leaders.
Seo: I believe that the military will play an intermediate role.
Aid
Selim: Egypt has undergone two revolutions in the past three years since 2011 when former leader Hosni Mubarak resigned … I think that helping Egypt politically and economically to achieve political transformation as soon as possible could be the gateway to the stability of the whole area.
Egypt has always been at the center of influence of the region and the biggest and most influential country there. If Egypt is shaken, the whole area is shaken. In other words, this will mean that if Egypt is stabilized, the whole Middle Eastern region will be stabilized.
In this sense, the international community needs to support and help Egypt both economically and politically to finalize its plan for stabilization as soon as possible.
Seo: When it comes to international aid, I think that technical assistance is important.
Seo: The role of the military has been significant in Egypt historically, and this explains why it now enjoys wide support from the Egyptian people. Compared with Korea, the general public’s attitude toward the military is very positive in Egypt.
Such a positive attitude has been shaped through a series of historic events where the military has played a pivotal role in Egypt.
Modernization of Egypt has been initiated by the military and it also played a critical role in nation-building after the nation gained independence. Its role actually goes back to the 18th century.
It was also the Egyptian military that ended the colonial rule and the legacy of the colonial period.
Selim: I fully agree with Professor Seo. His accurate analysis shows a big difference between people who have a first-hand experience of the country and have studied it for a long time and those who obtain information from international media outlets.
Yes, the army played a critical role in several historically significant events but they didn’t rule directly.
That’s why I am against the use of the term military rule in Egypt. The military is the only political power that can set the rules of the game for the Egyptian people after they ousted the former leader Morsi.
The military has the power but they are not ruling directly. The Egyptian government after the Arab Spring has been full of civilian leaders.
Seo: I believe that the military will play an intermediate role.
Aid
Selim: Egypt has undergone two revolutions in the past three years since 2011 when former leader Hosni Mubarak resigned … I think that helping Egypt politically and economically to achieve political transformation as soon as possible could be the gateway to the stability of the whole area.
Egypt has always been at the center of influence of the region and the biggest and most influential country there. If Egypt is shaken, the whole area is shaken. In other words, this will mean that if Egypt is stabilized, the whole Middle Eastern region will be stabilized.
In this sense, the international community needs to support and help Egypt both economically and politically to finalize its plan for stabilization as soon as possible.
Seo: When it comes to international aid, I think that technical assistance is important.
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