ABSTRACT
Anwar al-Sadat's regime showed ominous parallels with that of Khedive Isma'il Sidqi, whose deposition preceded the abortive Urabi Revolution, and with that of King Faruq, whose personal and political ineptitude contributed to the 1952 Revolution. Husni Mubarak, like his predecessor, hails from the province of Minufiyya. Among the Egyptian people, Minufis reputedly view themselves as much brighter than those who come from other governorates. A sensitive issue for Mubarak was the peace process with Israel, which in December 1981 annexed the Golan Heights. Israel's retrocession of the remaining areas of the Sinai to Egypt on 25 April 1982 seemed to remove that constraint on the Egyptian government. On the domestic scene, Egypt took some hesitant steps toward parliamentary democracy. In economic matters, the Egyptian government still pursues a policy that combines state planning and ownership of basic industries with private enterprise, both domestic and foreign. The storms of Middle East politics may rumble around and disturb their equanimity.
