A stagnant economy contributed to the unrest that brought down Egypt's Mubarak.

source: inc.com

It owns companies that sell everything from fire extinguishers and medical equipment to laptops, televisions, sewing machines, refrigerators, pots and pans, butane gas bottles, bottled water and olive oil.

Its holdings include vast tracts of land, including the Sharm el-Sheikh resort, where ex-President Hosni Mubarak now resides in one of his seaside pala-ces. Bread from its bakeries has helped head off food riots.

WikiLeaks: Egypt military stifles free market reform

2008 classified cable recently released by WikiLeaks, U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Margaret Scobey wrote, "We see the military's role in the economy as a force that generally stifles free market reform by increasing direct government involvement in the markets."

Military-owned companies, often run by retired generals, "particularly active in the water, olive oil, cement, construction, hotel and gasoline industries."

"Awash with cash": Reporting on the military is a crime in Egypt, and estimates of its share of the Egyptian economy - ranging from 5 to 40 percent - are "absolute guesswork,"

Egypt's Ministry of Military Production,

which has its hand in numerous business pursuits, including building water treatment stations, has 40,000 civilians on the payroll and takes in approximately $345 million a year, according to its head, former Gen. Sayed Meshal.

One sector that appears not, as yet, to have caught the military's business eye is high tech

At this point, would Springborg invest in Egypt, assuming he had the means? "No, absolutely not," he replied.

source: sfgate.com