Chapt 8 "Cairo -- A Spectacular Failure of Capitalism

In this oft-forgotten city of entrenched customs and history, I saw so much potential and missed opportunities in the way the streets and store fronts were maintained. The buildings were beat-up, drab, squalid altogether, some almost to the point of disrepair.

But as I really took the time to walk and observe, I noticed from one Roundabout to another that the buildings resembled European masterpieces.  There was so much character, brimming with culture -- ready to be explored and forever defined.

Man running next to the Parliament Building

Cairo was built in the 19th century and modeled as a European City, once referred to as the "Paris along the Nile."  Truly the city is beautiful and the River Nile is majestic and magical.

There are many priceless relics, but today they are drab, desolate, a sooty brown, darkened from the pollution that fills every molecule of breathable air competing against the relentless stream of CO2 sputtering from every exhaust pipe, every dripping air conditioner that glamours every window ledge all around this forsaken city.


See Note below.

Around town, I saw massive amounts of ramshackle homes that were falling apart by the hinges, ready to collapse around the people who lived in these crumbling tenements their entire life.  What else do you expect from a city that let the population get out of hand and provided virtually no control and monitoring.  Meanwhile people kept on building and breaking zoning laws.  The government was sadly asleep.

That's because people from all over Egypt and the surroundings kept moving into the city without much monitoring and controls.  Are there 18 million people living in Cairo or is there half that -- who knows what the true number is.  As you might expect, the trash situation is simply calamitous in this bustling city.

Also, Cairo made fatal mistakes in not planning for the Pedestrian and instead letting Drivers have their way What happened? Did the government just let things get out of control?  Absolutely.
Did they apply government regulations and monitoring like they do in more developed countries?

Capitalism works around the world, but without government intervention (lassez faire), people and businesses can get out of hand, break rules, cut corners -- all for the ultimate goal of maximizing profits and their self interests.

With the recent economic crisis in the US, many conservatives have condemned proposals for government action as "socialism."  But capitalism and government intervention are not mutually exclusive.  The goal is to provide for the people while the government serves to minimize the risks through intervention.

Winston Churchill once noted that "capitalism is the worst form of government -- except all the others have already been tried."

Just like the financial crisis that is rocking the innocent people of Greece and the environmental and economical crisis that is devastating the Gulf Coast.  With respect to the Deepwater Horizon explosion, BP is the culprit, but the government (Department of Interior) was weak and lackadaisical in handing out an exemption and taking BP's word that a spill was unlikely and that there would be "no significant adverse impacts" from it.

In this case, the Dept of Interior bent to to BP's aggressive lobbying and did not do a true, thorough and accurate assessment of what could possibly happen and its full repercussions.  In essence, I believe that the Dept of Interior's Mineral Management Service (MMS) provided lax enforcement of existing regulations -- MMS waived several safety regulations regarding oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico -- this waiver excused oil companies that have drilling operations in the Gulf from

by Walid Hassanein

Once again, capitalism and the people's votes and voices is morally ideal, efficient and works.  But people can also be selfish and self seeking.  Capitalism can only work if the government is strong, enacts laws that does the right thing, despite it's popularity or tradition and be aggressive in policing and enforcing these laws without corruption, secrecy and pure socialism: without hearing and incorporating the opinions of their people.

That's what's wrong with Cairo, but it isn't just a Middle East problem.

** A recent study used a simple calculation that half a million Cairo residents will develop in a period of 5-25 years serious health problems including respiratory illness and cancer.