Sadat and the Art of Statecraft: "Great Men Dedicated to Peace and Progress"
Abstract
This essay examines the 1972-1974 period of Anwar Sadat's leadership as President of Egypt with a focus on his abilities as a statesman and his skill as a practitioner of the art of statecraft. The author shows that Sadat was an adept statesman, particularly during the key policy event of this period: the October 1973 Arab-Israeli War. He successfully created and harnessed this event, using all the means of statecraft, to secure the national interests and objectives he wanted for his country. Though the Arab-Israeli war is one way to highlight Sadat's skill as a statesman, it was the 1973 Arab-Israeli peace that shows the true expertise of Sadat's statecraft, because war was only one tool used by Sadat to reach his overall objectives. In this case the art of war worked closely with the art of diplomacy to fashion a synergistic Egyptian foreign policy that would attain a better state of peace. This examination of the structure and success of Sadat's grand strategy begins by looking at Egypt's national interests and the threats to those interests. Next is an assessment of Sadat's perception of Egyptian power and a look at the opportunities available to him in the context of the environment he faced. The essay assesses Sadat's effectiveness in adapting to the unexpected and marshaling the tools of statecraft to secure a better peace, and presents the lessons others can learn from his example.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA442091
Entities
People
- Thomas D. Shearer
Organizations
- National War College