Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-06-06
Egypt Hesitutes

Egypt emphasizes that country'S
anomalous position in the war. Not
the least of Britain'S many worries
in the Near East is the attitude of
the Egyptian government and peo-
| pie. So long as actual fighting was
| kept at distance or at most touched
EgyptS desert Libyan frontier, the
| problem was patent. But now, with
| gigantic Axis pincer movement
threatening from both Libya and
Syria, and with a German bombing
raid on the vital naval base at Alex
andria heralding air warfare on a
major scale, the question becomes
acute.
Egypt has long been a challenge
to British craftsmanship. 1t came
under British control in 1882, though
it remained technically part of the
Ottoman Empire until the outbreak
of the great war in 1914. The ruling
Khedive was openly pro-Turkish, so
Britain deposed him, declared Egypt
a British protectorate, and flooded
the country with troops to protect
the Suez Canal. This deeply aroused
the Egyptian people and inf1amed
its growing desire for independence.
After the war, rioting and political
agitation reached such a pitch that
Britain ended the protectorate and
recognized Egypt as an independent
state under native King.
However, Egyptian sovereignty was
tempered by treaty relations safe
guarding British interests, especially
over the Suez Canal, permitting a
British army Of occupation, and pro-
viding that, if Britain should be
involved in war, Egypt'S harborS, air.
ports and communications should be
placed at her disposal. These treaty
rights were fully exercised at the
outbreak of the present war, and
Egypt has been entirely under Brit
ish military control.
The Egyptian government, how
ever, refused to go further and enter
the war on Britain's side. And in
this attitude it was backed by the
great majority of the Egyptian peo-
pie. Accordingly, Egypt has main
tanned policy of non-belligerency,
breaking diplomatic relations with
the Axis powers but not declaring
war upon them. Even when the Ital-
ianS crossed the Libyan frontier last
autumn, the small but well-equipped
Egyptian Army took no part in the
crucial fighting which the British
waged Single-handedly.
All this was naturally displeasing
to the British government, which
contended that Egypt was not living
up to the spirit of it's treaty obliga-
lions. British pressure upon young
King Farouk is supposed to have
resulted in the resignation of the
coalition cabinet which had ruled
Egypt up to that time. But the
Nationalist party, known as the
Wafd, representing the masses, re-
fused to enter any government
pledged to belligerent policy; so
Egypt has since been ruled by mon
party" cabinets appointed by the
King. However. they also have de-
clined to put Egypt fully into the
war. The only group in favor Of war
is that known as the Saadists. The
recent cabinet crisis arose when a
majority of the ministers refused a
war proposal, whereupon the Saadists
resigned and the government became
unavoidable.
Now that the war is again at
Egypt's door, the British, taught by
their recent experience in Iraq, seem
to be determined to obtain a thor
oughly dependable and cooperative
Egyptian government. The question
is whether they can get enough sup
port besides the Saadists to form
such a cabinet. Time presses and
the situation becomes more critical.
What emergency measures the Brit
ish may have to take remains to be
seen.