The Political Economy of States in the Middle East and North Africa Essay

The Political Economy of States in the Middle East and North Africa - Essay Example First, the report highlights the dominant economic activities and social service in Egypt. Second, the study will look at the political systems in Egypt with an emphasis on their connection with the citizens. Third, the paper will explore the citizenship rights and the role of women in politics and development of Egypt. Finally, the research will relate the views of international community about Egypt with a keen interest on the stand of U.S on the matter. Political Economy of Egypt Egypt leads in the population in the Arab world. It is the second populous country in the African continent. It has a population of about 80 million people living in different locations. The regions include Alexandria and Cairo, the banks of river Nile, and along Suez Canal. The regions support many people. They are in the category of the world’s densely populated regions. On average, a square carries over 3,820 persons. Egyptians are fairly homogeneous people of Hamitic origins. Most of the citize ns in Egypt are Muslims. However, there are minorities who are Christians (Aldosari 33). Egypt economy depends on petroleum exports, tourism, and agriculture. Egyptians practice agriculture in the fertile grounds of Nile Valley and Delta. This area is approximately 2.5 million hectares. The estimate of the workforce that engages directly in farming is about one-third. Egyptians who do carry out the tilling of the land make their fortunes from the agricultural industries. The factories deal with processing of agricultural products that feed the Egyptians. The surplus is exporter to earn foreign currency. There are projects in progress to convert the Egyptian deserts to productive lands. This is a government initiative to balance agricultural outputs in Egypt. A good example of such projects is the Toshka project in the Upper Egypt (Aldosari 1144). The warm weather and steady supply of water supports crop farming throughout the year. Predominantly, Egypt grows cotton, rice, sugarcane, sugar beets onions, wheat, corn, and beans. Cotton contributes significantly to agricultural exports. Egypt also produces fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Egypt export crops such as grapes, potatoes, and green beans to Europe. The close proximity of Egypt to the European markets boosts the export trade remarkably. This is because the short distance reduces the shipping costs. Farmers rear livestock in small quantities. These comprise of buffaloes, chicken, and water buffaloes. In addition to the agricultural capacity, the Nile Valley and Delta Egypt is endowed with natural resources. These include petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, and iron ore deposits. The gulf of Suez Canal and Western Desert contain rich sources of crude oil. Natural gas comes from the Nile Delta that is off the Mediterranean seashore, and in Western desert. Oil and gas product contributes to about 12% of the Egypt Domestic Gross Product (GDP). In the year 2008-2009 the petroleum and its products brought in $ 11.4 billion (Oxford Business Group 104). Tourism industry flourishes in Egypt. The country provides reliable domestic air service for tourists. Cairo is the major tourist hub in Egypt. Egypt leads in tourist destination in the Middle East. For instance, in the year 1996 Egypt tourists’ arrival reached a high mark of 3.9 million. This was an average stay of six nights. This contributes to 25 % of all of the total tourist traffic to the Middle East. The