Ahmed Aboul Gheit - My Testimony: Egypts Foreign Policy 2004-2011

EGYPTS FOREIGN
POLICY IN TIMES
OF CRISIS

W ith the historic day of the October 6, 1973 approaching, I realized the need to record everything that I witnessed at the time, so that I could write about that period later on. I was inspired to do so by my readings, over many years, of the writings of historical figures, including generals, political leaders, ministers of defense and foreign affairs, and even ordinary soldiers who fought for their countries. Those figures journaled on a daily basis. They recorded their ideas and evaluated the strategies that their countries implemented in the wars they waged, and kept track of battles that were fought during these wars, traced the conflicts among the peoples and ideologies of their time. Back then, I predicted that the impending war would definitely leave its imprint on the history of Egypt, the region as a whole, and the world. Hence, I decided to record everything I witnessed, as well as my thoughts, starting from October 5. I kept all my papers and documents for later use, I chronicled my reflections and conclusions about the unfolding events, and worked hard to ensure that my recollections of that period were intact in my memory. Since then, my career progressed on an arduous path during which I achieved many successes and faced innumerable challenges. As the years passed, I realizedat a particular moment in 2009that I was allowing time to slip by without writing my observations, which could help my fellow countrymen to continue to serve Egyptian society in the fields that I believe I mastered, or to be more accurate, have learned to master. Therefore, I wrote a series of articles on war and peace based on what I began recording on that fateful day, October 5, 1973. Then I incorporated this whole experience in my book entitled Witness to War and Peace .