What is it about?
This article explains how the Nile River sits at the heart of Egypt’s foreign policy and security thinking. It shows how Egypt’s total dependence on Nile water has shaped its relations with Nile Basin states and the Horn of Africa, from historic agreements with Sudan to Egypt’s cautious diplomacy toward Ethiopia and other upstream countries. The paper examines how concerns about dams, population growth, agriculture, and regional conflicts converge to form a central goal: ensuring the Nile’s waters flow reliably to Egypt.
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Why is it important?
The paper is important because it demonstrates that Egypt’s diplomacy in Africa cannot be fully understood without considering the Nile. By linking geography, history, and foreign policy, it explains why Cairo often appears both cooperative and defensive in its dealings with neighbours, and why water issues can quickly become questions of national survival. These insights matter for anyone interested in preventing future water wars, designing fair river-sharing agreements, or understanding how environmental pressures shape regional politics in Africa
Perspectives
Writing this article allowed me to bring together my academic interest in African politics with a very personal concern as an Egyptian about the future of the Nile. It was an opportunity to step back from daily headlines and look at the long-term patterns that have tied Egypt’s foreign policy so closely to this single river. I hope that the piece helps readers—both inside and outside Egypt—understand why dialogue, trust-building, and shared management of the Nile are not optional luxuries, but essential conditions for the security and dignity of millions who depend on its waters.
Professor Hamdy A. Hassan
Zayed University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Nile River and Egyptian Foreign Policy Interests, African Sociological Review / Revue Africaine de Sociologie, September 2007, CODESRIA - Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa,
DOI: 10.4314/asr.v11i1.51423.
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