Al-Sisi's US interview reveals his sense of self-importance

Egyptian coup leader general Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s last interview with the Washington Post reveals his sense of self-importance, a leading strategy analyst has claimed.

“Clearly,” says Major General Abdul Hamid Imran, “Al-Sisi regards himself as the real ruler of Egypt and not just Minister of Defence, which is why he is upset that President Obama did not call him after the coup.”

According to Imran, “The Americans see things in a balanced manner; they know that Al-Sisi is Egypt’s Defence Minister, so why would Obama call him?” Naturally, he added, his American counterpart would call him, not the US president. Moreover, said Imran, the fact that Al-Sisi has called the Americans for help reflects the dilemma in which he finds himself.

Despite a number of threatening deadlines, Al-Sisi has not ordered the pro-Morsi protests to be dispersed by force, the analyst explained. “Not only that,” he continued, “but the number of protesters is growing.” The general behind the coup which overthrew Mohammed Morsi may be trying to save face by appearing to have adopted a more peaceful approach and asking the US to mediate. The Washington Post interview is, General Imran believes, a back door line of communication with the US administration.

However, he denounced Al-Sisi’s call for America to mediate with Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. He likened it to someone stealing an apartment and then asking the owner to negotiate for its return. This, say other commentators, is exactly what the Israelis have done to the Palestinians, and Imran described Al-Sisi’s approach as an example of Israeli influence on his actions. The coup leader is, he says, being used by the pro-Israel lobby. “His basic weakness,” concluded Imran, “is that Al-Sisi is not even in command of himself.”