THE late President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat (May God have mercy on him) made several statements that proved prophetic. One such statement was, “Saddam Hussein stands against me and against Egypt because I signed a peace treaty with Israel. I know he is powerful, but I am certain he is reckless and doesn’t know how to calculate his moves. He will misuse his power. Saddam Hussein’s recklessness will one day set the Gulf on fire and destroy the most important country in the Arab East.” Sadat also said, “Saddam Hussein is inciting the weak states of the Arabian Gulf against me in the Arab League, even though his true dream is to occupy Kuwait and annex it to his country.” What Sadat predicted in 1980 became a reality in 1990, just a decade later.

Sadat once said, “Hafez al-Assad and his brother Rifaat are thugs protected by the Russians. They have never cared about the true interests of the Arabs. Their only concern is the Alawite sect to which they belong. I have never seen anyone more cowardly than Hafez al-Assad and his brother Rifaat. They are willing to set the world on fire for their own personal gain. They act as if they are leaders of the Arab world, despite the fact that Syria collapsed by the third day of the October 6, 1973 war because of their betrayal.”

These remarks, made by Sadat in 1977 following his historic visit to Jerusalem, which sparked deep hostility from the Syrian regime, proved prophetic during the Hama massacre in 1983. Sadat once said, “I asked Arafat to accept the offer of establishing Palestine based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, under the protection of a group of countries he himself had selected, but he refused. I don’t think Arafat will ever receive a better offer.” And that’s exactly what happened. He also warned, “I was among the first to strongly oppose the Iranian revolution because it was a sectarian movement that would try to export sectarianism and hatred across the region.”

Sadat said this during the 1979 Khomeini revolution, which sparked backlash from Islamist movements at the time. Yet, every word he said proved to be true. He once said, “Sergeant Ali Abdullah Saleh, who became the president of Yemen, is illiterate and afraid to step even one meter outside of Sana’a. Despite this, he criticizes my policies and objects to Egypt’s position. One day, the Arabs will understand who Ali Abdullah Saleh truly is. He never recognized the value or significance of Yemen.”

Sadat’s words came true, as history later revealed the consequences of Saleh’s rule and the turmoil he brought upon Yemen. Regarding Muammar Gaddafi, he said, “This is a crazy young man with deep psychological issues who behaves like a child. Give him a well-functioning country today, and by tomorrow, he will reduce it to rubble.” And that’s exactly what happened. Sadat said: “Those who claim to speak in the name of Nasserism care only about their personal interests. They change their stance like chameleons and are ready to shift their loyalty in an instant just to gain power. There is no such thing as Nasserism or Sadatism. Every president must prove his worth through his own actions and character.”

He was absolutely right in everything he said. We have all seen how the Nasserists, who claimed to stand with the poor, ended up becoming billionaires, along with their children and grandchildren, all at the expense of the naive. Sadat declared, “With a single stroke of the pen, I ended the bloodshed of Egyptian youth. Had I hesitated out of fear of how the barbarians would react, I would have been a traitor. The Arabs never understand, as they always demand war. My mission is to ensure that Egypt’s youth live without tears or bloodshed. To fight on behalf of the Arabs, I must first have weapons factories that ensure a balance of power. Without that, the October 1973 War will remain the last and final war. After that, development must take priority. Strangely, Egypt makes the decision, and its enemy understands it, while the Arabs attack it. They will understand one day, but it will be too late.” Sadat was, without a doubt, at least 30 years ahead of his time. He was able to see the full picture clearly, while others were too busy chasing hollow heroism and finding excuses to blame him.