Keith Sullivan writes: Today the Egyptian government officially inaugurated what has been dubbed “Suez Canal II,” an extension of the original canal that will accommodate two-way traffic and more development and capital projects along the important shipping route. The canal upgrade was greeted with much fanfare.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has much riding on the new canal’s success, as do the Egyptian investors who footed the lion’s share of the project’s $9 billion dollar bill.
Moreover, there isn’t much evidence that the Suez upgrade will result in the windfall of growth and gains promised by Sissi. The new canal route will likely reduce container ship travel times slightly.
The coming months and years will make or break Sissi’s government, which has been propped up by the largesse of the Gulf monarchies and the US.
High youth unemployment plagues the country. . The regime has been under pressure from an Islamic State affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula. Political persecution of Islamists has led to radicalization and a once vibrant political movement is being pushed back out to the fringes.
In a Middle East consumed by conflict, the United States is counting is counting on an Egyptian strongman to keep the largest Arab country in the world in line. Can he deliver?
