Dividing the Nile

David E. Mills

Description

A new perspective on Anglo-Egyptian rule in Sudan
Most scholarship has attributed Sudanese independence in 1956 to British dominance of the Condominium, historical animosity toward Egypt, or the emergence of Sudanese nationalism. Dividing the Nile counters that Egyptian entrepreneurs failed to develop a united economy or shared economic interests, guaranteeing Egypt's 'loss' of the Sudan. It argues that British dominance of the Condominium may have stymied initial Egyptian efforts, but that after the First World War Egypt became increasingly interested in and capable of economic ventures in the Sudan.
However, early Egyptian financial assistance and the seemingly successful resolution of Nile waters disputes actually divided the regions, while later concerted efforts to promote commerce and acquire Sudanese lands failed dismally. Egyptian nationalists simply missed opportunities of aligning their economic future with that of their Sudanese brethren, resulting in a divided Nile valley.
Dividing the Nile will appeal to historians, social scientists, and international relations theorists, among those interested in Nile valley developments, but its focused economic analysis will also contribute to broader scholarship on nationalism and nationalist theory.
Preface
List of figures
Note on transliteration
Introduction
Chapter 1: The "natural" unity of the Nile valley
Chapter 2: "Successful" division of water resources
Chapter 3: Agreement, institutions, and opportunities, 1936-1939
Chapter 4: A valley divided transportation difficulties
Chapter 5: Disguised exploitation agricultural and industrial designs upon the Sudan
Chapter 6: An expanded Sudanese market? Egyptian exports to the Sudan
Chapter 7: An economic lifeline? Egyptian reliance on Sudanese imports
Conclusion
Selected bibliography
Index

Sujets

• Histoire
• North Africa
• History
• Africa

Informations

• Publié par: The American University in Cairo Press
• Date de parution: 01 décembre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781617976193
• Langue: English

Extrait

DIVIDING
THE NILE
DIVIDING
THE NILE
Egypt s Economic Nationalists in the Sudan 1918-56
David E. Mills
The American University in Cairo Press
Cairo New York
This electronic edition published in 2014 by
The American University in Cairo Press
113 Sharia Kasr el Aini, Cairo, Egypt
420 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018
www.aucpress.com
Copyright 2014 by David E. Mills
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
ISBN 978 977 416 638 9
eISBN 978 161 797 619 3
Version 1
C ONTENTS
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Map
I NTRODUCTION
1. T HE N ATURAL U NITY OF THE N ILE V ALLEY
A Geographically United Nation?
An Ethnically United Nation?
A Linguistically United Nile Valley
The Islamic Nile Valley
Historically United?
Conclusion
2. S UCCESSFUL D IVISION OF W ATER R ESOURCES
The 1929 Agreement and Project Supervision
Sudanese Cotton Competition
Costs of Nile Development
Jabal Awliya
Lake Tana Project
Egyptian Laborers at Hydraulic Projects
The Egyptian Annual Subvention
Resolution of Sudanese Debts to Egypt
3. A GREEMENT , I NSTITUTIONS, AND O PPORTUNITIES , 1936-1939
Financial Consequences of the Expulsion of Egyptian Personnel
The 1936 Treaty and Egypt s Economic Expert
Egypt s Economic Expert to the Sudan
Egyptian Economic Missions
The Permanent Committee of the Sudan
The Khartoum Exhibition
Preference for Local over Foreign Goods in Nile Valley Markets
Ignorance of Market Conditions and Active Merchants
4. A V ALLEY D IVIDED : T RANSPORTATION D IFFICULTIES
Travel Restrictions
Commercial Restrictions
Egyptian-Sudanese Customs Arrangements
Transportation Facilities
Halfa-Shellal Steamship Service
A Halfa-Shellal Railroad Connection
Motor Vehicle Transport in the Halfa-Shellal Reach
Egyptian-Sudanese Transportation via the Red Sea
5. D ISGUISED E XPLOITATION: A GRICULTURAL AND I NDUSTRIAL D ESIGNS ON THE S UDAN
Investment in Sudanese Agriculture
The Condominium Administration s Control of Sudanese Lands
Egyptian Emigration to the Sudan
Investment in Sudanese Industry
Conclusion
6. A N E XPANDED S UDANESE M ARKET? E GYPTIAN E XPORTS TO THE S UDAN
Egyptian Agricultural Exports to the Sudan
Egyptian Textile Exports
Exports of Sugar
Egyptian-Sudanese Commerce during the Second World War
Conclusion: Sealing the Commercial Deal
7. A N E CONOMIC L IFELINE? E GYPTIAN R ELIANCE ON S UDANESE I MPORTS
Raw Materials for Egyptian Manufacturing
Importing Sudanese Cotton Seed
Sudanese Grain Trade
Import of Sudanese Livestock
The Merchants of Egyptian-Sudanese Commerce
The Egyptian Merchants Presence in the Sudan
Second World War Opportunities for Local Merchants?
Conclusion
C ONCLUSION
Notes
Selected Bibliography
This book is dedicated to the memory of my mother, Jean Barbara Mills
T ABLES
1. Egypt s share of Sudanese imports, 1919-51
2. Citrus fruit exported to the Sudan, 1918-55
3. Rice exported to the Sudan, 1918-55
4. Selective comparison of Egyptian agricultural exports (by value), 1930-50
5. Mixed textiles exported to the Sudan, 1928-55
6. Cotton piece goods exported to the Sudan, 1918-55
7. Refined sugar exported to the Sudan, 1918-55
8. Untanned hides imported from the Sudan, 1931-55
9. Sesame imported from the Sudan, 1931-55
10. Cotton seed imported from the Sudan, 1939-55
11. Dhurra (millet) imported from the Sudan, 1931-55
12. Wheat imported from the Sudan, 1931-55
13. Cattle imported from the Sudan, 1931-55
14. Sheep imported from the Sudan, 1931-55
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book is the product of many years of research and writing, during which time I have benefited tremendously from the assistance and encouragement of numerous family members, friends, and colleagues. I am certain to inadvertently omit some who aided me in the creation of this book, and I can only ask the forgiveness of those I forget to mention.
Unquestionably, the most instrumental scholarly guidance behind this work came from Dr. Byron Canon, who chaired my supervisory committee at the University of Utah. His roles as scholar, mentor, taskmaster, and friend were absolutely critical to my graduate studies, my research in Egypt, and my efforts to find employment in this field. Although I have tried over the years, I have never adequately expressed my appreciation for all Byron s efforts on my behalf. Additionally, Dr. Peter von Sivers and other members of my supervisory committee at Utah contributed tremendously to my scholarly progression. Finally, the financial and educational support of the University of Utah s Department of History and Middle East Center were vital to my work during this period.
Critical financial assistance for research conducted in Egypt was provided initially by a Fulbright doctoral dissertation research grant from the U.S. Department of Education and later through a research fellowship from the West Virginia Humanities Council. Thanking all those Egyptians who have assisted me over the years is well-nigh impossible. Instead of omitting some individuals, I would like to thank every scholar and staff member of the Binational Fulbright Commission of Egypt, the Institute of African Research and Studies at Cairo University, the American University in Cairo libraries, and, especially, the Egyptian National Archives and National Library. I would be remiss not to thank Dr. Muhammad Gamal al-Din al-Massady of Cairo University for his assistance in gaining access to various Egyptian archival repositories and introducing me to colleagues. Finally, the friendly advice and conversations with Alaa al-Din Arafat, Mine Ener, and many others made my work in Egypt so much more enjoyable.
Much of the writing and revising of this book has occurred over the past three to four years, with assistance from different sources. My colleague from Marshall University s Department of Geography, Dr. Jamie Leonard, was gracious enough to spend some of his valuable time creating the map included in this book. Many of my Department of History colleagues critiqued sections of this work, most notably Drs. David Kenley, Montserrat Miller, Dan Holbrook, and Kevin Barksdale. Furthermore, the critical comments of the anonymous readers were very much appreciated and instrumental in my revision process. Finally, the editors and staff of the American University in Cairo Press have been consistently helpful and a pleasure to work with on this project. I would like to express my gratitude especially to Nadia Naqib, Randi Danforth, and Johanna Baboukis. Your patience with my delays, questions, and communication difficulties has made the final stages of this publication a much easier process.
All of the individuals noted above have provided invaluable assistance in the completion of this project, but all responsibility for any errors, omissions, or other shortcomings of this book rests on my shoulders alone.
My family-Phil, Jean, Allison, and Alan-have always been supportive of my academic and professional pursuits, for which I am extremely thankful. Finally, my wife, Stephanie, and my son, Riley, will always have my deepest love and appreciation. They have had to endure my long nights of working on this book and have listened patiently over the years as I voiced my plans, difficulties, and concerns about this project.
The Nile and surrounding countries, 1918-1956
I NTRODUCTION
In 1955, Sudanese parliamentary leaders chose an independent existence for their country. Their decision disappointed many Egyptian nationalists who had been extolling the unity of the Nile Valley for decades. The Sudanese decision may have been the inevitable outcome of Britain s efforts to isolate the Sudan since 1899, but there were other factors that critically inhibited unification. This study focuses on the economic initiatives of Egyptian nationalists, who sought to connect the Sudan and Egypt through commerce, investment, water sharing, infrastructural developments, and more. The study argues that Egyptian economic efforts in the Sudan were too little, too late, and constituted a missed opportunity reflective of a lack of political willpower. In other words, the lack of sustained economic contact between Egypt and the Sudan during the first half of the twentieth century confirmed broader trends that made the Egyptian dream of Nile Valley unity untenable.
The Sudanese ended Egyptian dreams of a unified nation in 1955, and scholars have traditionally taken two broad approaches in explaining why the Sudanese chose independence. One group of authors, including Peter Woodward, Heather Sharkey, Tim Niblock, and others, has described the path to independence through analysis of the composition and activities of local Sudanese leaders, political groupings, native officials, and the educated urban elite. 1 Most of these scholars emphasized the role of the prominent Sudanese sectarian rivals, Sayyid Abd al-Rahman al-Mahdi and Sayyid Ali al-Mirghani, and the Graduates Congress. 2 Heather Sharkey s work is unique in its analysis of those Sudanese working within the Condominium administration and the dilemma they faced-assisting in foreign control of their country, while also desiring to see it undone. T