When the Arab Spring broke out in Egypt in 2011, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that if foreign conspirators were to create such a rebellion in Sri Lanka, it would not succeed. But the Arab Spring wave came to Sri Lanka in 2022. Today, not only Mahinda, but also the Rajapaksa family have been caught in that wave and destroyed. Ranil Wickremesinghe was given the presidency, and the Rajapaksas withdrew. The Arab Spring was called the struggle in Sri Lanka. Ranil, who became president from that struggle, has gone to Egypt today to participate in the environmental conference there.
President Abdel Fattah el sisi also a president from the Arab Spring in Egypt. He was Egypt’s director of military intelligence at the time of the Arab Spring. That is the government of President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak was ousted by the Arab Spring. In 2011, Mohamed Morsi became president. He appointed Fattah el sisi as the Defense Minister in 2012. Mohammed Morsi’s government did not recognize the revolutionaries who led the Arab Spring. They started the revolution again. El Sisi conspired to become president under the guise of this revolution. He launched a military coup as the defense minister as a solution to the revolution. He overthrew President Mohamed Morsi in a military coup. He replaced the ousted President Morsi with Samdeen Sabadi as interim president.
He also could not rule the country because the revolution became severe and riots broke out. In 2014, Sisi announced that he would leave the army and run for presidentcy, seeking the support of his supporters in the revolution. Sisi won the presidential election in a landslide. After that he brutally suppressed the revolution and its leaders. They were labeled as terrorists and thrown in jail. Fortunately for Sisi, Donald Trump was the President of the United States when he launched this crackdown. Sisi was Trump’s favorite dictator. But when Biden came to power, Sisi did not receive the same recognition from America as he did during Trump’s time. Sisi started called to Biden on the phone but failed. But so far, a good relationship has not been established between Biden and Sisi.
Sisi holds climate summit in Egypt to regain international recognition he has lost. The Tampa Bay Times story about this conference. “The world community thus faces a fundamental dilemma. On the one hand, the summit offers the opportunity for our climate crisis to make international news and for governments and activists to recommit and pledge to increase their efforts to limit carbon emissions. Yet, on the other hand, the summit offers Egypt the opportunity to falsely promote itself as a liberal “green actor” committed to progressive change. As environmental activist Naomi Klein writes: “This summit is going well beyond greenwashing a polluting state; it’s greenwashing a police state.” The summit gives the repressive Egyptian regime the chance to “preen green before the world.”
Ranil became the president of Sri Lanka through the struggle as Sisi. Just as Sisi took advantage of the Egyptian struggle and infiltrated the presidency, Ranil also took advantage of the Sri Lankan struggle to become the Prime Minister and President. Like Sisi, Ranil suppressed the struggle. Ranil goes to the environmental conference to get international recognition. Suppressing the struggle and imprisoning the leaders of the struggle and calling them terrorists, Ranil is seeking the support of the western countries led by America. Just as Sisi is trying to win the US by showing peace in the Middle East, Ranil is trying to win the US by showing China. Sissy is somewhat successful. It is doubtful whether Ranil will be able to succeed like Sisi.
By Upul Joseph Fernando