Structural Response #5

In Egypt, Nassar’s achieved success was very short lived. His regime focused its efforts under the guise of growth and development for the middle class, making sweeping promises and ensuring no opposition threatened his power. However, Nassar’s true intent was to produce an unquestionable and all-powerful rule. His plan made sense, keep the country in a time of peace and relative prosperity and unrest will be manageable. To do this Nassar knew he must appeal to the majority of the population; the middle class.

The Nassar regime was able to silence its opposition and cut off the media outlets used to spread their views but identifying the groups most prone to forming opposition parties and counter-cultures. His main target was the middle class youth, and his form of defense was a solid education focusing on the areas he deemed most important. Nassar poured large amounts of money into the education system, teaching youths about Islamic and Socialist values. The government ended up covering many of the additional fees, and even guaranteed government jobs to all university graduates. His plan worked, universities shifted from places of political dissent and rebellion to campuses full of future government-employed supporters. Eventually, however, money dried up and jobs were lost. The guarantees of the government were not being met and their rhetoric falling apart.  

Opposition groups began to form. The now-educated youth had reasons to oppose the government, whose rhetoric had caught up with them, and groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood gained ground. In the Middle East, Islamist opposition groups experience extreme success in rallying supporters. These groups resonate with deep-seeded cultural and religious norms within many Middle Eastern societies. It is easy to attract large numbers of people all sharing some sort of common understanding. Although not all have identical visions for the country, they can take comfort in the fact that they all share similar moral and cultural backgrounds. These groups are able to provide stability and some forms of democracy while maintaining anti-western ideals.