Since the 1978 Camp David Accords, the Egyptian government has undertaken extraordinary efforts to modernize its military with Western arms and weapon systems. By bolstering its armored corps, air force, and naval fleet with an array of U.S. military platforms, the Egyptian armed forces have emerged as one the region’s most formidable forces. But as the post-Husni Mubarak era looms, questions abound. Who, precisely, is Egypt arming against, and why? Has Egypt attained operational parity with Israel? How will the military be affected by a succession crisis? Could Cairo’s weapons arsenal fall into the hands of Islamists? This essay will address these and other questions by analyzing the regime’s procurement of arms, its military doctrine, President Mubarak’s potential heirs, and the Islamist threat.

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Other Interesting Articles at The Middle East Review of International Affairs

1 Yaakov Amidror - The Hizballah-Syria-Iran Triangle
2 Ayellet Yehiav - The Anti-Iranian Front: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan
3 Reuven Paz - The 2006 Lebanon War’s Effect on Global Jihad Groups
4 Martin Kramer - Israel vs. the New Islamist Axis
5 Uri Lubrani - The War’s Fall-Out in Lebanon
6 Eyal Zisser - Whither Syria?
7 Moshe Arens - Consequences of the 2006 war for Israel
8 Shmulik Bachar - Approved in Islam, Denounced by the State: The Representation of Polygamy in Egyptian Popular Cinema, 1950s-1970s
9 C. Christine - Fair Indo-Iranian Ties: Thicker than Oil
10 Jeffrey Azarva - From Cold Peace to Cold War?: The Significance of Egypt’s Military Buildup
11 Vikash Yadav - The Political Economy of the Egyptian-Israeli QIZ Trade Agreement

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