Sadat’s efforts to reach a peace settlement with Israel and harness American enthusiasm for economic development assistance was sometimes controversial in Egypt. His trip to Jerusalem caused consternation among some advisors, who thought it removed Egypt’s leverage against superpowers.
Part one explores his domestic political legacy; parts two through five explore Egypt-Israel peacemaking processes with analyses from Middle East expert Shibley Telhami and Ambassador Wat Cluverius.
1. Identify Substance Interests
Sadat took dramatic steps to divert Egypt away from Nasserism and toward a brighter future, including hiring three top generals – Ahmad Ismail Ali, Saad al-Din Shazli and Muhammad Abdel Ghani al-Gamassy–on both military and diplomatic fronts to reconstruct an army capable of carrying out his foreign policy objectives. Additionally he oversaw the symbolic burning of wiretap recordings and secret police files; yet still kept many prisoners of conscience on his lists due to his magnanimity as well.
Sadat made history when he broke through the deadlocked Geneva Middle East peace process by initiating direct contact with Israel. He sent emissaries through Romania and Iran to assess Israeli willingness to trade land for peace; his boldest move, however, came in November 1977 when he visited Jerusalem despite appearing unlikely.
By taking such a bold step, Sadat demonstrated his unflinching willingness to risk everything for his goals. He wanted the Israelis to know he had their best interests at heart and could help break through what he called psychological barriers that prevented them from trading land for peace. Eyewitnesses from that period – Hermann Eilts, former U.S. ambassador to Egypt, and Eliahu Ben-Elizar, Menachem Begin’s close aide– recall with clarity the anxiety, drama, and unpredictability surrounding Sadat’s trip to Jerusalem. Sadat’s decision triggered an extraordinary series of events and led to remarkable achievements. Those who study him agree: He utilized his experience in Egyptian domestic politics to produce apparent realities long before Ronald Reagan recreated presidential politics using similar strategies.
2. Integrate Negotiation Techniques
Sadat understood the value of negotiations as both an experienced soldier and agitator, adept at recognizing substantive interests, power dynamics and integrative negotiation techniques used against his adversaries. His ability to recognize such areas led him to utilize them effectively during peace talks with Israel despite taking significant risks which did not always pay off; his dedication to finding peaceful resolutions for Middle Eastern conflicts ultimately proved crucial to his success.
Sadat realized that military means were insufficient to achieve his vision of Egypt’s economic development and social transformation, so he resolved to shift Egyptian-Israeli relations away from warfare to mediation and conflict management instead.
Sadat attempted to build trust with Israel by assuring them of Egypt’s good intentions and dismantling psychological barriers that had blocked previous negotiations. To this end, Sadat abandoned multilateral diplomacy and pursued direct Israeli-Egyptian agreements at Camp David summit; many of his advisers considered this move risky due to Egypt’s limited leverage.
Sadat managed to overcome this doubtful stance through consistently showing his reasonableness in American-mediated negotiations with Israel. He sent copies of his “fallback positions” list directly to President Truman at Camp David, as well as providing copies to Israeli Prime Ministers Yitzhak Navon and Menachem Begin – sending copies directly into each one’s hands was enough for both sides to believe he wasn’t bluffing and would stick by his demands – signalling to both that his demands weren’t shifting and that trust was built between parties, eventually persuading them both to trade land for peace – strategies similar to his success can help leaders avoid making bold decisions that may not always produce positive outcomes in business environments – these strategies can even help leaders stay truer to their goals without risking being compliant by making bolder decisions that don’t always produce ideal results!
3. Focus on Common Goals
Sadat’s ability to inspire all sides to the conflict to seek common interests was key to his peace efforts’ success. He recognized it was in both Israel and Palestine’s best interests to reach an accord that ensured security for all in the region, which led them both to sign an accord on the South Lawn of the White House despite earlier assumptions that peace could never happen; those convinced peace was unattainable were forced to face reality and accept responsibility for its implementation.
The negotiations environment was defined by three aspects. First, Arab countries demanded Israel return all land it had taken from them in 1967 as a condition for peace talks to proceed; Sadat understood this fact and did not try to shift attention away from it as conventional wisdom would suggest.
Sadat placed his country first and never allowed his fight for power to get in the way of pursuing peace with Israel; when speaking of “returning Sinai”, for instance, he did so without making exceptions or extenuations for this goal.
Sadat demonstrated a willingness to sacrifice for the greater good, seeking assistance from those he trusted such as Ahmad Ismail ‘Ali, Saad al-Din Shazli and Muhammad Abdel Ghani al-Gammassy in accomplishing his goals. These individuals provided him with an operational concept for military-to-military aspects of his policy that helped achieve them.
4. Identify Power Dynamics
Sadat and Begin both spent many years as marginal figures within their respective political systems, often eclipsed by more dominant figures with greater public appeal. This became one of the driving forces for their quests once they assumed power; both saw it necessary to develop close ties with America both personally and to block any Soviet interference in their respective nations.
Sadat took the reins as leader on both domestic and foreign fronts with great skill. He tried to change that balance through reform measures such as overseeing the symbolic burning of thousands of wiretap recordings and secret police files; jailing some political rivals while freeing many others in order to demonstrate his magnanimity.
Sadat took an aggressive foreign policy stance that focused on rebuilding relationships between Egypt and Arab states on mutual interests, rather than any personal animus or regional animus. His goal was for Egypt to regain permanent membership of the UN; to this end he was prepared to break its fifteen-year alliance with Soviet Russia if necessary.
This approach led to peace treaties that have profoundly transformed the Middle East and are still vital today. This collection’s articles explore their nature as well as how two “incompatible” men were able to come together and forge these agreements without resorting to violence or blackmailing them with damaging information. Shibley Telhami holds Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development at University of Maryland and describes how Sadat managed to build trust without resorting to overwhelming force or blackmail.
5. Develop a Sense of Purpose
Sadat’s dramatic gesture was one of the defining events of modern history. Though full peace between Israel and Egypt still has not been realized, his bold act opened the door for such possibilities.
Sadat was not known to take half-measures when it came to political decision-making; his decisions often met their logical conclusions. For instance, when he took over from Gamal Abdel Nasser as president in 1974, he immediately eradicated the Nasserite elite which controlled the army, minister of war, propaganda machinery and internal security organizations–something which went against conventional wisdom at that time.
Sadat revolutionized Egypt’s relationship with the Arab world by shifting Egypt’s interests from local to regional considerations, realizing that local interests would eventually triumph over any political creations by foreign powers in the Middle East.
Sadat had an extraordinary ability to recognize the mutual interests that linked Egypt and America, often framing his proposals for peace with Israel in such a way as to be difficult for President Franklin D Roosevelt or later George Bush III to turn them down. Sadat also understood the value of winning over his American counterparts by building trust through consistent performance despite all kinds of prejudice, pain, or fears in the Middle East; often using their secretary of state or president as “ambassadors” when speaking up in front of Israelis about his case before them directly.
