Egypt: Cultural Imperialism

Miller Hagler

Cultural Imperialism in Egypt

       Cultural imperialism is defined as "The active promotion of one cultural system over another" (Rowntree 27). 

       Egypt has been conquered and ruled by many foreign powers over its long history. It has experienced various methods of rule--the Ottomans and their Viceroy, the French councilmen, and the powerless Khedive maintained under British rule. And while all these various conquerors have in one way or another left a cultural mark, Egyptian national identity has never been successfully quelled. 

       Egypt's interactions with the West for much of the nineteenth century were predominately matters of economy. From the massive debt incurred to European banks during the building of the Suez Canal to the sudden boom in the cotton industry that made it "the strongest Muslim state of the 19th century" (IMPERIALISM), imperial powers have almost always viewed the country as a means to profit. Sometimes through internal trade, usually through external trade with the East, this tendency has nonetheless ensured that no great, or at least no effective, measure to eliminate Egyptian cultural nationalism has been implemented. This, while at the same time the kind of economic and political exploitation that fosters nationalism was allowed to run rampant.
       More recently however examples of what could be called cultural imperialism as a corollary to globaziation has been observed in Egypt much the same way it has been observed elsewhere in the world. For example: 
 
Fig. 2     McDonald's in Egypt



Fig.3 The Mcarabia
    
       Other examples include things such as the suggested USAID program to "encourage english language teaching in government schools" (Mideast) which, while likely benignly intended, is eerily reminiscent of programs seen in places like South Sudan that were almost certainly intended to weaken local cultural ties. It could be argued that these examples are of an entirely different breed of cultural imperialism, utterly unlike the military conquests of a hundred years ago. At the same time however it could be argued that the motives have not changed one bit. It was, and continues to be, all about the money.  

Works Cited

Rowntree, Les, Martin Lewis, Marie Price, and William Wyckoff. "Chapter 1: Concepts of World       Geography." Globalization and Diversity Geography of a Changing World. Fourth ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2014. Prin

 "IMPERIALISM." IMPERIALISM. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://www.historyhaven.com/APWH/unit%204/IMPERIALISM.htm>.

 "The Mideast and Abroad." Cultural Imperialism: Egypt, America, and Sudan. N.p., 3 Apr. 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 2014. <http://www.aslanmedia.com/news-politics/world-news/882-cultural-imperialism-egypt-america-and-sudan>.

Figure Sources

Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.mcdonaldsegypt.com/en/page/page/238>.

 "Gallery For Mcarabia Chicken." Gallery For Mcarabia Chicken. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014. <http://imgarcade.com/1/mcarabia-chicken/>.

Egypt: The Kyoto Protocol

Miller Hagler

 The Kyoto Protocol

 

Fig. 1 Kyoto Protocol Participation Map

     The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty with the aim of reducing carbon emissions. It is considered to be the more formal "second phase"(Rowntree) of the international debate on limiting emissions. It's predecessor, a treaty signed by "167 countries" (Rowntree) at the 1992 Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro, failed to produce significant results in large part due to the fact that it was completely voluntary. It lacked any international legal standing. The Kyoto Protocol however has the backing of international law and allows for the penalization of countries not meeting their reduction goals.

      The Kyoto Protocol was drawn up in 1997 at the conclusion of talks in Kyoto, Japan, however it didn't become official until 2005. This was due to Article 23, which states that the Kyoto Protocol would be ratified when "not less than 55 Parties to the UNFCCC...deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession" (Status). The ratification of Canada and Russia were what finally made official ratification possible. Canada would later become the first country to withdraw.

       Several developed countries became signatories of the Kyoto Protocol, including France, Germany, Japan and, for a time, Canada. Egypt itself became a signatory in 1999, and entered into the treaty in force in 2005 when it became international law. In addition, Egypt concurrently founded the "Egyptian Designated National Authority for Clean Development Mechanism" (Climate). The DNA-CDM has reportedly made "tangible progress in several sectors" (Climate).
       In sum however the efforts of the Kyoto Protocol produced largely underwhelming results. It became clear early on that many industrial countries would not meet their target emission reductions. In addition, conflict between developed and developing countries arose over the concept of carbon inequity, which states that due to their historical role in creating the global warming problem developed countries should bear the brunt of the solution. 

        

 

Works Cited

Rowntree, Les, Martin Lewis, Marie Price, and William Wyckoff. "Chapter 1: Concepts of World       Geography." Globalization and Diversity Geography of a Changing World. Fourth ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2014. Print.

"Status of Ratification." Status of Ratification. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. <http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/status_of_ratification/items/2613.php>.

 "Climate Change." Climate Change. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://www.eeaa.gov.eg/english/main/env_ozone_ecc_neg.asp>.

Figure Sources

 International Agreements Made on Climate Change. Digital image. Flatplanet -. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://flatplanet.wikispaces.com/International agreements made on Climate Change>.

Egypt: Urban Settlements

Miller Hagler

Egypt and Urbanization

fig.1 Map of Egypt
Geographers and Urban Settlements
     When examining urban settlements geographers will look at factors such as population density, birth and death rates, migration rates, and push/pull factors. All of these factors present a picture of the growth or decline of an urban settlement; whose living there, whose leaving, whose arriving, for what reasons are they coming or leaving, and in what numbers.
     Other factors likely to be considered are the local languages and cultures, the state of the political environment, and income rates.

fig. 2 Population density in Egypt
Urban Settlements in Egypt
     Cairo, the Egyptian capital, is also the country's largest city, siting at the southern end of the Nile Delta and supporting a population between 10 and 20 million people(see fig.2). That is a greater population than any U.S. city south of New York or East of L.A., and significantly higher than that of any major Canadian city(Stearns 95).
     Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city, boasts a population only slightly lower than that of Cairo. Founded in the wake of the short-lived empire of Alexander the Great, Alexandria was one of the many "flourished and important scientific centers"(Stearns 95) of the ancient world.
     A key aspect of both of these cities, as well as the cities of Gizeh and Shubra El-Kheima, is location. These cities, along with most every other urban city in Egypt, sits along the path of the Nile, an area that boasts a population density of 1,001-12800 people per square mile(see fig.2). This figure illustrates the vital role water has played in the historical development of Egypt, and is particularly telling in how important the Nile has been.

Works Cited

Stearns, Peter N. World History in Brief: Major Patterns of Change and Continuity. 7th ed. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2005. Print.

Figure Sources

 Wolfman. Egypt-CIA WFB Map. Digital image. Wikipedia. N.p., 8 Aug. 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.

 Phillip. Population Denisty in Egypt. Digital image. Writing to Comprehend. Blogger, 5 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2014. <http://writetocomprehend.blogspot.com/2013/11/population-density.html>.