Page 14 - Issue 26

Vol.1 Issue 26, December 2020 ELITE

2020 overview

the year of challenges

Assile Mostafa, 2nd level, Economics

of negotiations over the construction of the
2020 was indeed a heavy year on all of us. In fact, its
Renaissance Dam is not a good thing, but it is rather
events and circumstances literally affected all countries
expected, as it may be considered an important
worldwide, and probably each and every person of
national project for Ethiopia (economically in terms
them. And not as you might think, it ’ s not just about the
of generating power from the dam and avoiding
covid-19 pandemic: This year was full of surprises,
periods of floods and others ...) Therefore, the
cultural, moral, economical and mostly political events
reopening of discussions with Egypt and Sudan about
some of which are absolutely independent from the
pandemic … In fact, almost every day since the start of the possibility of building a dam peacefully is an
this year came with new overwhelming news, most of expected thing, but without any doubt it is a foregone
them representing major events that will mark this and impossible suggestion or “wish ”, given that its
year … Egypt is indeed one of the countries who has downsides are hundreds of times more to other
witnessed major political events and was subject to countries and it is considered a monopoly of regional
relatively “ many ” conflicts …
waters and a sort of a commodity to trade the water as
a “good ” to countries where the Nile River flows in
In this article, we ’ ll make a quick overview about the
its natural course, and therefore the construction of
most important political events witnessed by Egypt in
this dam is undoubtedly an infringement of Egypt's
the year 2020, for this year began with Egypt being
right to the waters of the Nile ... However, what was
exposed to many terrorist movements, the most
not expected was the failure of negotiations badly and
important of which was the Bir al-Abed ambush on the
without diplomacy and Ethiopia's insistence on
30th of April, a sad memory where ten members of the
building the dam and its threat to build the dam
Egyptian army were martyred. This grieving event
suspiciously, as if there were someone behind
added to people ’ s sadness and worry and perhaps might
Ethiopia, supporting and urging it to build the dam to
be perceived as a prelude to a conspiracy hoping to
challenge and weaken Egypt, taking advantage of the
cause political instability in Egypt, in a period that
economic conditions and instability that exist in most
doesn ’t bode well in terms of economic indicators and
of world countries (due to the pandemic) … Indeed,
political clashes, and this period has been followed by a
this was no illusion, and it turned out clearly that there
number of conflicts, including the Egyptian-Ethiopian
were countries backing up Ethiopia against Egypt to
conflict, although I personally do not prefer to call it a
build the dam, including Turkey, which was besieging
conflict because it is not considered a conflict between
Egypt from many sides, in addition to the conflict
two states over a region, but rather I think it is an
between Turkey and Libya that threatens the security
Ethiopian infringement on Egypt's right and share in the
of Egypt, as Egypt was ready to intervene in the
waters of the Nile River, so the return
conflict in case Turkey approaches the western
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