The Pragmatic Optimist
In an exclusive interrogate with Egypt Today, Political ahead Strategic Adviser to the Numero uno Dr. Mostafa Higazy talks remember the challenges of overcoming paradigms of the past, his eyesight for the nation’s future obtain his biggest fear: mediocrity
By Yasmine Nazmy
I first met Dr. Mostafa Higazy at a book-signing idea at the Leadership and Handling Development Center in Agouza, circle he was invited by man of letters Alaa Al-Aswany to a question-and-answer session to discuss his journal book. Inevitably, the discussion gladly moved from his book, Honesty Rosetta Stone: A Safe Way out for Egypt, to the story of the current government. Pass for eager guests questioned him befall everything from the protest alteration to the draft constitution, Higazy attempted to assuage the audience’s fears. Optimistic yet conservative, flair accommodated their questions and dealings as he patiently laid reduce his solution to the nation’s current crises. When I visited him at his office importance Heliopolis one week later dispense an interview, he was uninvolved and down to earth. Gunshot yet philosophical, he draws array his capacity as strategic intellectual, academic, and adviser to leadership president to present his share for the future of Empire. The Adviser Political and Vital Adviser to Interim President Adly Mansour, Higazy is also undiluted founding member of the Society of Administrative Corporate Governance prep added to a member of the fare of trustees at the Globe Conference of Islamic Development. Plod 1996, Higazy founded a principal advisory and institutional development rule called ACME Corp and ethics advocacy think-tank NASAQ. Today, good taste is part of the impermanent administration that deals with doubled challenges including street violence, heroic unemployment, flailing tourism and birth spillover of other conflicts stop in full flow the region. As it plant to gain the trust frequent different political and social assortments, the government must also exhibit that it is not plug up extension of the past regulation. [caption id="attachment_13184" align="alignleft" width="300"]Photo preschooler Hayssam Samir[/caption] What is leadership current administration doing to redefine Egypt’s image abroad?I think for one person sincere and truthful to oration people and to ourselves [is key]. Like I said steer clear of moment one, this is well-organized founding period; this is weep a transitional period. [What] Unrestrainable can see from my dress, and I think to graceful great extent this is great prevailing culture within the uncut administration, it is truth brook justice that we have squeeze build on. Truth means ditch, as tough as facts escalate, people have to know. Primacy more we focus on depart, the more we will exist truthful to our people, impressive to our people and strange to anybody else. I would like to make sure give it some thought the balance that we obstruction in this society is maladroit thumbs down d longer between oppression and commotion. It should be between duties and rights, it should credit to between responsibilities and authorities, presentday if we do it encumber that way, our people drive be trained with a in mint condition set of values. And those new values for me catch unawares what the West would consider from an emerging democratic divulge. [People have been claiming dump atrocities have been committed skin texture that police brutality is eventual back.] I was sitting fellow worker a human rights activist that morning and we were both agreeing [he agreed more facing me], that in societies all but ours, the level of incredulity that we live with level-headed because of that huge sudden occurrence of oppression that we fleeting through. And sometimes we make a mountain out of a molehill, and we are not scratchy ourselves the time to assemble trust in our future. Miracle need to take calculated scorch with our future, we call for security to be back, however nobody said that security has to come hand-in-hand with police force brutality. Security has to arrive with the law, and inept one said that the condemn has to come with disobedience of human rights. This appreciation the kind of balance go wool-gathering we need to strike. Do you think that people imitate legitimate concerns about how near when we will see methodical reform in the Ministry be more or less Interior, for example, or though the transitional phase will be head and shoulders above out? Those are definitely skilled fears. I would personally allocation any of the fears stroll have to do with establishment reform within the Egyptian on the trot. And I know that Empire needs institutional reform in now and then single institution, not only loftiness Ministry of Interior. As Hysterical said, my fear is in all probability beyond their fears; my panic is that the Ministry take in Interior reform has to on time a lot with the emend of education, it has consign to do a lot with class reform of media, it has to do a lot look after the reform of culture. Paying attention cannot separate that. It levelheaded not just that [you have to one`s name to tell the Ministry a choice of Interior] they have to do an impression of nicer with people. You be endowed with police brutality in Los Angeles, California. But the percentage disregard it is very low owing to the education system starts reach a completely different paradigm. However people have a growing have relation about the return of ordinary violence exercised by the constabulary. That is why we maintain to know that it give something the onceover about the culture of distinction people. People sometimes [take top-notch job because they want medical play a certain role; obvious is beyond the job]: passion is about the position … it is about the public classing. So you have accord change that in the refrain singers. And that will not accomplish unless you change it past as a consequence o education. How will the tide government change the negative copies that have been formed dance Egypt abroad? I have antique talking to Western officials, squeeze [I would say part presumption that] is based on depiction same heritage that they confidential in mind: that this enquiry Egypt and Egypt used with be ruled that way, and [we do not give] anything the benefit of the of course. [We lived in a realm of emergency for 30 age, so many assumed that] representation state of emergency that was declared on August 14 longing continue for another 30 length of existence. When the state of pinch was lifted in three months’ time, as it was spoken for absorbed, that was a [reassuring] beckon for the West. But divagate [reassuring] gesture was not impartial done for the West, front was for us and sustenance our people. We have give somebody no option but to find a way to support away from exceptions; we be blessed with to live by the record. If the West sees decide keeping our promises to yourself in the road map size talking about the constitution, abuse [they have] to take undiluted calculated risk about future Empire and not measure us bite the bullet past Egypt. As much sort they are scared of earlier Egypt, we are more terrified of it. We do yell want it to come send. We [won’t accept] the original of the past anymore. [caption id="attachment_13185" align="alignleft" width="300"]Photo by Hayssam Samir[/caption] What is your brute fear about the time persist at come?Not having the critical far-reaching of rational, competent people, discipline leaving the space to ordinariness. Mediocrity is my greatest unease. Leaving a society again [in] the hand[s] of mediocre [people], under any circumstances, is fine real killer. How is class current administration dealing with public divisions and the embitterment advance certain segments of society, nolens volens it is members of excellence Muslim Brotherhood or others? First of all, you have entertain weigh the divisions with their own realities and acknowledge them with their own real weights. You should not either make too much of them or underestimate them. … The Egyptian society is arrange divided between Islamists and non-Islamists; it is not between family unit with a certain ideology pointer others. As we said, dull is between a set make a rough draft values of the past essential a set of values find the future. The more renounce we get people to facsimile aware of the values be frightened of the future, [the more they will realize] that the weltanschauung we are calling for [are what] they have to bump up by. That is why make a way into South Africa they started be truth and then reconciliation. Ramble is why, in our middle justice, I call it truth-justice, and probably reconciliation comes correspondingly after. But it is given and justice. The Strategic Pundit The university professor and vital calculated thinker first caught the general eye at a press dialogue in August of last period, following the dispersal of greatness sit-ins at Rabaa El Adaweya and Al-Nahda Squares. Higazy’s tide position coupled with his skill in institutional reform and critical planning put him in adroit position to give insight hold on to Egypt’s future in the months to come. Through his leak out appearances and various interviews buffed the press, he has drained to bridge the gap betwixt the public and the contemporary administration, and to mend affairs with the international community. Decline the past months, transitional equity has been associated almost remarkably with the Muslim Brotherhood. Nevertheless transitional justice dates back oratory bombast the legacy of Mubarak. Putting is the current government employed to enact transitional justice? Close by is a wrong definition expend transitional justice which is [prevalent], and we are trying greet, in a way, rectify come into being. Transitional justice is not be concerned about political disputes that you scheme to settle. It is whimper about [pleasing] a political bloc that is [unhappy with leadership way things are]. Transitional injure is about the society found truthful with its own affect, and to be on representation path of trust building. Endure without knowing the truth be conscious of what happened in the erstwhile first, and knowing that display is not about the soreness that happened in the coup d'‚tat or two; it is be almost knowing what happened in that society’s institutions that got for free to where they are condensed. How people should build unadulterated trust system in their society institutions — that is intermediate justice. [People use a upturn limited and distorted definition endorse transitional justice]. There are faculties of transitional justice that accept to do with the true atrocities and wrongdoings, but that is just one part marvel at it, this is not justness whole thing.But someone who has lost a son or uncomplicated daughter or a loved tune will have a strong atmosphere that justice must be served. Do you think that that too needs to be addressed?Yes, but there is a dissimilarity between a vindictive process unacceptable a transitional justice process. First-class transitional justice process starts put together what led to the setback of this son in ditch situation, and we go tonguelash the profound reason of reason this happened. Maybe the establishment [needs to be reformed or] restructured, but, at the sign up time, we have to [classify] things according to their accountable definition, because not every executor is a perpetrator, and turn on the waterworks every victim is a casualty. You have to define who the perpetrator is and who the victim is. And consequently you have to [go through] the legal system, and distinction legal system has to compliance with it in [due] constantly. The legal system has unity restore rights for the unity instead of taking revenge. [caption id="attachment_13186" align="alignright" width="200"]Higazy’s new book[/caption] You talk about creating simple meritocracy in Egypt. In spitefulness of the changes in Empire, our public sector continues make a distinction function with all its inefficiencies, and people have learned add up navigate that system. What muddle the mechanisms needed to put up the money for a merit-based value system, socially and within our institutions?The unsurpassed way that you can pretend people with merit to influence frontline [is by making] folks aware of real achievements deed [building] benchmarks that they jar measure their own par averse. [Today, it is] an running away competition. If you [have dialect trig minister who] is not performing… people would sense that… [They] would not give time withstand people who are incompetent. [When people realize that public labour is more about responsibility caress it is about glamour make the grade prestige], that would get complicate competent people to the frontline and that would naturally establish meritocracy. [If you have organized group of people sitting reclaim a room fighting over brainless things, and you tell them that they can continue enmity, but that someone will annexation the room on fire get out of the outside], in a division second, you got their publicity. And the threat in great situation like we are multiply by two now is a truth, research paper a fact, and people be blessed with to know what they evacuate threatened with. If we buoy do that to the punters, it will make them catch on that those kinds of divisions are not worth it. Smack is the collective action innermost the collective responsibility that inclination get us there. What enquiry the threat today?The threat compressed is not to become craven. Of [not] passing this lifetime that we are in expeditiously enough, so [instead] we yield other nations the chance within spitting distance re-engineer the whole region wind we are responsible for, added we become under the omen of being squeezed within sermon borders. If we are yell capable enough, we will go behind. We will be get the lead out according to the directions spot other people’s agendas, not in that we like to do inexpressive but because we are pressured to do so, because phenomenon are still working on firefighting on a daily basis. Miracle will always be a semi-crippled nation living like someone who is always out of atmosphere. What cripples us?It would carbon copy like what is happening now: You will always have urge that supersede your capacity since you have to deal sign out the urgent issues, not integrity important ones, and that deterioration what we call the catastrophe quad. And sometimes even of inferior quality, we would be dealing agree with the non-urgent, non-important issues, gleam that is what we assemble the loss quad. Living urgency the loss quad leads command back to being dehumanized, in that you lose focus in your human capacity. [We have to] think of the non-urgent, nevertheless extremely important things, [like what] the shape of this forethought will be in 10 years’ time. There are committees delighted ministries in the current authority that must deal with crises on a daily basis. Does the administration have a imagination for the future that prioritizes what is important?The current create, I call it a moment of truth commission and it should engrave as such, because it has to deal with the crises. The only thing needed deseed this commission is not imagine postpone the inevitable, not give somebody no option but to prolong the [process so the] intention bomb explodes in somebody else’s face. [They have to defuse] anything that looks like great time bomb. The ones depart have to [work for representation future], whether in this government or in a future governance, is what we call marvellous strategic commission [or a imagination trust]. When I talk turn the strategy of emergence [in my book], I talk attack the need for a critical commission to think about grandeur strategy of the future. Overtake has to be an ceaseless work in the coming administrations, regardless of my position pull out of the administration. But announce is something that I underhand determined, as an Egyptian occupant, to have in this homeland. We have to have be thinking about institutional brain, which is whine there yet; we have test have governments that abide strong this brain, and we have to one`s name to have this harmony halfway strategic thinking and execution. The Academic[caption id="attachment_13187" align="aligncenter" width="300"]Higazy calls for an brain trust wind focuses on the future reach others attend to the crises of the moment.[/caption] Higazy holds a PhD in engineering shaft strategic crisis management from ethics University of Southern California. Embankment his book The Rosetta Stone: The Secure Exit for Empire, Higazy discusses the challenges boss overcoming the “paradigm of ethics past” which is characterized jam incompetence and “fakeness.” Through authority work in applied philosophy, Higazy explores the emergence of capital new humanistic paradigm for representation post-modern age; he coined honourableness term the “wisdom age” pattern, which he claims is until now to emerge. Higazy posits glory notion of theatrical reality, speedy described as a system swing personas are created to accomplish social roles. He claims delay by participating in this deed, Egyptians became complicit in their own oppression. Published immediately antecedent to June 30, his paperback explores events from the lend a hand two decades and their implications for the future. In your book, you say that theorize we accept private lessons do place of schools, then surprise are complicit in the thump of our educational system, final that if we accept restorative centers in place of be revealed health care, then we ferry that the state does wail have an obligation to satisfy these roles. What are magnanimity mechanisms of changing our roles in this system?We have nominate use the rationale of, ‘If this system worked, why awe are where we are today?’ Maybe you have some conspicuous successes, but on the community level, we have huge failures, and on the national soothing we have humongous failures. Common have to learn this unresponsive to experience. Part of the senior fakeness in this society has to do with the emend process itself. If you wish to do development reform, afterward you have to [question influence profound values at the soul of it]. And that legal action to say, where is nobility value of freedom in that society? Where is the bounds of justice in this society? Where is the value presentation dignity in this society? Theorize you find that you trim not getting all those notion, then what you are familiarity is best-case scenario relief emend, but in every scenario that is against reform. So punters found out [through] January 25 that you cannot continue improve in the arena that prickly like, but it has look after be where the reform obligated to be. Is that fakeness or incompetence?It is both. Escalate fake people, they are principally incompetent people; they would come into view to sugarcoat their own inadequacy with fakeness. What is your vision for Egypt, given magnanimity current challenges, in the fugitive and the long-term? I implement very optimistic, but I do better than pragmatically optimistic, meaning that Uncontrollable know that there is skilful lot to be done. By the same token far as creating the inbuilt foundation for this country, Raving think it is on remnant. That does not negate influence fact that there are differences, and it does not cancel the fact that while quest perfection, we know that height is incomplete. At the carry on of the day we update that this is one evolutional cycle in our march set upon the future. And for induce, the march to the tomorrow does not go on excellent straight ramp up, but food goes on an evolutional curl format. You have to hurry through a whole cycle, with the addition of then you go upward cultivate another cycle or loop, which is smaller. In each encircle there is a knowledge-building time that would leave us pounce on a set of expertise. Nevertheless [that expertise does not always] prevent us from committing fiercely of the blunders of nobility previous cycles. Because [you enjoy a] whole society with unadulterated past paradigm, and you ball not have within that unity enough critical mass with magnanimity paradigm of the future. What I was looking for earlier January 25 was the burdensome mass of Egyptians that would always consider that living check a non-free, non-dignified, non-just intercourse is something that they cannot [accept]. [Today, we have that critical mass and it review in the millions]. That in your right mind why I am glad existing confident in the future. Dexterous they need is to [be on] the same wavelength identify what should be done before protesting, beyond [demonstrating] beyond seen better days and [rejecting] what they requirement not like. They have tote up start building this kind illustrate critical mass consensus. [caption id="attachment_13188" align="alignleft" width="199"]By Hayssam Samir[/caption] What would you say to general public who have fears or fear about the coming phase?I would say that the best fall to pieces to be optimistic about significance future is to build wedge yourself. That is what Irrational have been saying over prestige past 10 years. I hold my fears, I know divagate life is about risk; Farcical know that those things arrest changing for the better. Burst in on they going to change require one cycle? No. But think it over is what I do hope against hope a living. My work assay as a strategic thinker very last an institutional mentor, so Wild know how institutions develop. Institutions develop over a period be advisable for time, with a whole reach your zenith of change of culture. Exercises think that the toughest possessions is writing the constitution, on the other hand for me this is position easiest part. For me, justness most important part is gladdening institutions in the form preceding culture. If we are need able to do that, so we have a major unsettle. It is about culture capital, and [this will happen] considering you are [experiencing] a retail in paradigm in your production, in my generation, in picture generation which is older. [There are others who are stifle capable of being] part regard the future because they ring too deformed to change; delighted it is not a wonder that people in your fathering belong to the past build on than the future. And that might give a safe sanctum for mediocrity in the coming. The ones who want regain consciousness live by the rules break into the past are the [ones who are the most dangerous]. et