Egypt: The Costs of Being an Arab Leader

Abstract

Until the beginning of the First World War, Egypt was an autonomous region of the Ottoman Empire ruled by hereditary rulers called Khedives. Though Britain had occupied the country since 1882, it was at the beginning of the First World War that it ended Ottoman authority over Egypt and declared it a protectorate. The political framework for Egypt was provided by the constitution of 1923 which declared Egypt a hereditary monarchy. Britain retained substantial control over the country’s foreign policy, the Suez Canal, and its defence against foreign aggression. The 1936 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty moved the country to independence. The Treaty however, ensured that the two countries formed a military alliance and that Egypt would co-operate with Britain on foreign affairs. Under the terms of the Treaty, Britain was to retain a garrison in the Canal Zone for 20 years.