Gamal Abdel Nasser on the Muslim Brotherhood
Priceless. Nasser was far from perfect, but he was the best modern leader Egypt has had, by far.
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They learned at his knee, as it were. He also was tremendously charismatic--you get a peek at it in this video, but he could make crowds swoon. He had "it"--the thing that makes people want to follow.
He came to power as a leader in the Free Officers, a group of military members who were pissed at the status quo. He was the power behind that movement that put King Farouk on the lam, hightailing it to the casinos of Monte Carlo. It was a coup that put his boss, a general, in charge, with him as power behind the un-throne, as it were. That general, Naguib, and Nasser initially got along, but eventually Nasser got sick of his shit and deposed him and took the reins of power himself. He brought him back briefly, but eventually he became the head Mon Frere in charge. That's when he started playing the non-aligned game and in effect, was USSR-leaning for many years.
The Brethren tried to assassinate Nasser--they found some asshole to shoot him, the guy emptied his gun at old Gamal and missed. Totally. Nasser made sure they were neutralized as a political power after that--he cracked down on them and limited their activities. Make no mistake--Nasser could be quite brutal when he needed to be. He wasn't about "democracy"--there was only one party--what he was about was dragging Egypt, kicking and screaming, into the 20th Century. He would not be dissuaded.
The military is generally respected in the ME/NAfrica/SW Asia sphere. They have a conscript culture in many places, but professional military officers are regarded as trustworthy, intelligent and people of their word. They are also seen as strong leaders--and that approach isn't always viewed as "bad." It is a different cultural mindset.
