Page 13 - Issue 58

Vol. 1 Issue 58 August 2023 ELITE

Report on the seminar of Major General Staff Dr. Salah Al-Gamsi entitled

"Strategic Planning and Deception in the October 1973 War"

Menna-t-Allah Hossam Enan - Level 4 - Economics menatallah.annan2020@feps.edu.eg

The Faculty of Economics and Political Science at the time of the crossing of the Suez Canal and in
Cairo University organized a symposium entitled contrast to what happened in Al-Naksa. The Major
“Strategic Planning and Deception in the October General then went on to mention the fact that wars
War”, on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, where the have existed since the dawn of humanity with Caine
Faculty hosted Major General Staff Dr. Salah Al- (Qabeel) killing Abel (Habeel) and will continue to
Gamsi, member of the Egyptian Council for exist until the end of time. For war is nothing but a
Foreign Affairs and Academic Advisor to the conflict of interests and a desire to impose one’s will
Egyptian Military Academy and the grandson of over others, as Churchill explained when he said, “We
Field Marshal Mohamed Abdel Ghani Al-Gamsi, have no lasting friends, no lasting enemies, only
Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces in lasting interests.”
1973, succeeding Lieutenant General Saad El-Din
El-Shazly, as a speaker in addition to Dr. Ibrahim
Saif Abdel Hamid Al-Minshawy, a teacher in the
Department of Political Science at FEPS, as a
commentator. The symposium discussed the
various stages that Egypt underwent starting from
the setback “Al- Naksa” of 1967, all through the
War of Attrition, and ending with the canal crossing
in 1973. Al-Gamsi then moved on to talk about the different
Professor Dr. Hanan Mohamed Ali, Acting Dean of motives for wars according to Richard Ned Lebow’s
the College, began by introducing and welcoming “Why Nations Fight: Past and Future Motives for
the guest and emphasizing the lasting impact that War” where he divided war motives into four: material
the war left on the conscience of Egyptians, interest, fear, standing and revenge as a manifestation
pointing out the many hurdles that the political and of spirit. He explained that the 1973 war falls under
military leadership at that time had incurred to
prepare for the crossing of the Suez Canal without the revenge/spirit motive and the restoration of dignity
attracting the enemy’s attention. and honor, citing the words of the late President
Major General Al-Gamsi then started his speech by Anwar Al-Sadat, “I prefer the world’s respect, even
without compassion, to the world’s compassion if it is
12 highlighting the close connection between the without respect.”
power of politics represented by diplomacy and the
politics of power represented by the Armed Forces, For the Israeli aggressor does not backdown and leave
stressing the importance of having high degrees of occupied lands through agreement and diplomacy, but
harmony and consensus between the political and rather by force and blood. Thus, the Major General
military leadership in order to unify the front to believes that if Egypt had not taken the decision to
confront difficulties and enemies, as was the case at