Egypt is a big country, Africa's biggest. While nominally a confederation with Libya, Sudan, and Gaza, it is functionally a centralized state. The name itself says enough - that in the Egyptian Arab Confederation the Egyptians are at the least first among equals.
What if Egypt were limited to Egypt proper?
Nasser considered immediately ending Anglo-Egyptian condominium over Sudan - expecting the country to rejoin Egypt on its own - but instead opted to just wait out the British.
Egypt perhaps could have not gone to war with Libya in 1977.
Egypt could have not insisted on an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza at Camp David.
Egypt today is a large economy with a leadership that, though noticeably kleptocratic, also puts a good amount of money in investing oil money in basic infrastructure, health services, and payments for the poor (arguably buying support for regime from them). It also does quite well for itself by investing in transit infrastructure and collecting duties and tolls on goods shipped and trucked through its territory.
The Palestinian situation would be different. Part of the deal involving reaquisition of Gaza involved carving out a slice of the northeast Sinai to add to the Palestinian Republic of Gaza and Egypt pledging to settle a sizable number of Palestinian refugees in the territory.
What if Egypt were limited to Egypt proper?
Nasser considered immediately ending Anglo-Egyptian condominium over Sudan - expecting the country to rejoin Egypt on its own - but instead opted to just wait out the British.
Egypt perhaps could have not gone to war with Libya in 1977.
Egypt could have not insisted on an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza at Camp David.
Egypt today is a large economy with a leadership that, though noticeably kleptocratic, also puts a good amount of money in investing oil money in basic infrastructure, health services, and payments for the poor (arguably buying support for regime from them). It also does quite well for itself by investing in transit infrastructure and collecting duties and tolls on goods shipped and trucked through its territory.
The Palestinian situation would be different. Part of the deal involving reaquisition of Gaza involved carving out a slice of the northeast Sinai to add to the Palestinian Republic of Gaza and Egypt pledging to settle a sizable number of Palestinian refugees in the territory.
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