“The Eye of Horus: Egyptian Intelligence” – with Dina Rezk
Summary
Dina Rezk (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss Egyptian intelligence. Dina is an Associate Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of Reading.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
- Egyptian leadership & intelligence
- The intelligence landscape of Egypt
- Egypt’s relationship with neighboring countries
- Ashraf Marwan’s story from the Egyptian perspective
Reflections
- Leadership, power, and opposition
- International perspectives and changing views
And much, much more …
Episode Notes
This week on SpyCast, Andrew is joined by Dina Rezk to discuss all things Egyptian intelligence. Dina is a lecturer at the University of Reading where she teaches courses in modern Middle Eastern history with a focus on intelligence and security, and she was a former colleague of Andrew’s at the University of Warwick. In this episode, Dina walks Andrew through the intelligence landscape of Egypt: its history, major challenges, and the leaders who have shaped Egyptian national security into what it is today. Tune in to learn more about Egypt’s position in the modern Middle East and beyond.
And…
The importance of the Nile River to both ancient and modern history cannot be overstated. The Nile, known widely as “the source of life,” is the longest river on Earth and runs through 11 African countries. After this episode, check out our interview with Wilson Boinett to learn more about how The Nile has impacted Kenyan history and intelligence.
Quotes of the Week
“I think that's one of the ways in which the Egyptian Intelligence Service sort of conceives of its primary responsibility. It's about maintaining internal security, and particularly at the moment you know, since 2014, I would say sort of eliminating any sort of political opposition, any possibility of political opposition.” – Dina Rezk.
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*SpyCasts*
- The Intelligence Legacy of the Yom Kippur War with Uri Bar-Joseph (2023)
- Former Senior Indian Intelligence Officer with R&AW Special Secretary Vappala Balachandran (2023)
- Kenya, East Africa, and America with African Intelligence Chief Wilson Boinett (2023)
- Israeli Military Intelligence with IDF Brig. General (Res.) Yossi Kuperwasser (2023)
*Beginner Resources*
- Egypt Profile, BBC News (2019) [Timeline]
- Abdul Fattah al-Sisi - in 60 seconds, BBC News, YouTube (2014) [1 min. video]
- Why Was The Suez Crisis So Important?, Imperial War Museum (n.d.) [Short article]
*Featured Resource*
- The Arab World and Western Intelligence: Analysing the Middle East, 1956-1981 (Intelligence, Surveillance and Secret Warfare), D. Rezk (Edinburgh University Press, 2018)
DEEPER DIVE
Books
- Making the Arab World: Nasser, Qutb, and the Clash That Shaped the Middle East, F. A. Gerges (Princeton University Press, 2018)
- Egypt on the Brink: From Nasser to Mubarak, T. Osman (Yale University Press, 2011)
- Nasser: The Last Arab, S. K. Aburish (Thomas Dunne Books, 2004)
- Orientalism, E. W. Said (Vintage Publishing, 1979)
Articles
- Egypt in the Cauldron of Gaza, L. Anderson, Foreign Affairs (2023)
- The FBI is probing whether Egyptian intelligence played a role in Bob Menendez’s alleged bribery scheme, J. Dienst et al., NBC News (2023)
- Re-evaluating the Yom Kippur ‘Intelligence Failure’: The Cultural Lens in Crisis, D. Rezk, The International History Review (2016)
- Egyptian Facebook User Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Putting Mickey Mouse Ears on Sisi, A. Al Hussaini, Global Voices (2015)
- Orientalism and Intelligence Analysis: Deconstructing Anglo-American Notions of the ‘Arab’, D. Rezk, Journal of Intelligence and National Security (2014)
- Reforming Egyptian Intelligence: Precedents and Prospects, O. L. Sirrs, Journal of Intelligence and National Security (2012)
- The Clash of Civilizations?, S. Huntington, Foreign Affairs (1993)
Video
Primary Sources
- Mining of the Red Sea (1984)
- CBS Broadcast “The Assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat” (1981)
- ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ In Mideast (1980)
- Special Assessments on the Middle East Situation (1967)
- “Cairo Hails Nasser as Situation Sends Dulles to England” Newsreel (1956)
- Meeting at the White House to Discuss Suez Crisis (1956)
*Wildcard Resource*
- “Intelligence” in Egypt goes back as far as the ancient times of pyramids and pharaohs. One of the earliest accounts of the impact of spies and propaganda in Ancient Egypt is the Battle of Kadesh, a major conflict against the Hittite Empire around 1275 BC.
- Check out this relief seen inside the Great Temple of Ramses II depicting an ancient view of interrogation.