Egypt

The Gulf War and the subsequent liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi occupation had a far-reaching impact on Egypt, which emerged from the crisis with its international standing strengthened, its regional role buttressed, and its economic prospects improved. In economic terms, Egypt reaped important economic benefits from the Gulf War, due to what Le Monde termed “une aubaine”—a stroke of good luck. Egypt’s self-image was further bolstered by the election of two prominent ministers to high international office. The Gulf War marked the first time that Egypt participated in actual fighting since 1973. Domestic opposition, which was permitted to be expressed to some extent, emanated from the left and from Islamist circles. The state of the Egyptian economy had been generally depressed in 1990, to the extent that some observers predicted that Egypt’s foreign debts and loss of credibility would prevent it from being able to import necessary food and raw materials.