When B P Enfantin, a co-founder of the Saint Simonian movement, arrived in Egypt in 1834 with a few French engineers to propose the creation of the Suez Canal, he wasn't thinking of what's good for Egypt, but of what was good for a colonialist world that be believed France should lead. A quote attributed to Enfantin goes thus: “The colonisation by the West of the East is a necessity imposed by Heaven.” Mohamed Ali, Egypt's viceroy at the time, saw through the scheme and almost threw him out of the country. The man who interceded in Enfantin's defence was none other than Ferdinand de Lesseps, the impresario who was to carry out the project two decades or so later. History has since proved both Enfantin and Mohamed Ali right. The canal gave the West the access to China and India that Enfantin has dreamed of, but the British beat the French in the battle for world domination. And Egypt acquired an invaluable asset, but at the price of its independence. It took us 70 years to get the Suez Canal back. Nationalised by Gamal Abdel-Nasser on 26 July 1956, the canal became a symbol of liberation, not only for Egypt, but also for many nations who fell under the yoke of European colonialism during the second half of the 19th century. The nationalisation triggered a backlash from the French and the British. With Israel cast in a minor role, the Suez War, known in Arab lore as the Tripartite Aggression (29 October-7 November 1956) was a disaster for the invaders. Following valiant battles in Port Said and other cities of the canal zone, the invaders turned tail. The day of their withdrawal, 23 December 1956, is still celebrated in this country as Victory Day. But this was only one battle in a longer war. Egypt would have to go to war again, in 1967 and 1973, to defend not only its land, but also its principles and way of life. The same is true today. The script has shifted, but the familiar storyline persists. We are fighting a war in Sinai, but against adversaries of a new type. And we are building a new branch of the Suez Canal, also in order to defend our principles and way of life. The new branch of the Suez Canal took almost one year to build, contrary to predictions that it may take five times as long. This is good news, for it is yet further proof that this country can rise to levels of resolve that no one would have expected. Just as we did when we liberated the Suez Canal back in 1956. Just as we did when we liberated Sinai back in 1973. When it is a matter of do or die, we always get the job done. Unfortunately, we didn't do so well with other challenges. Take, for example, Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam. There is no shortage of assurances when it comes to politicians, but water experts keep warning us that the dam could cause a drought in Egypt. So what are we going to do about it? Another thing, we really need to make sure that development in Sinai, of which the new branch of the canal is an essential part, will trickle down to the entire population of the peninsula. There is no better way to defeat terror than development. We need to bring development to North Sinai, and we need to reverse the misfortune of Port Said and other cities on the Suez Canal, whose economy has been deteriorating for years. Colonialism is not just submission to occupiers who want to grab your land, although there is no shortage of those. It is a state of mind. It is submission to a culture of half-measures and ambiguous intentions, to wishful thinking and lack of accomplishment. This is the colonialism we have to defeat. Building the second branch of the Suez Canal is only a first step. But we need this level of zeal and resolve, this determination to get the job done, this aspiration for higher achievements. We owe this to ourselves. Countries such as Egypt, with its unique geostrategic advantages, are never left alone. They will always have people like B P Enfantin trying to tell them what is good for them, or worse, trying to twist them to fit their own purposes. Today, as the borders of this region become vulnerable, as the old ways of leadership become obsolete, and as old enemies come back in new clothing, we have to stand up for ourselves. And the only way to do that is by moving forward. By asserting ourselves, and keeping what is ours.
