Egypt

Policy Analysis on Egypt

U.S. Military Engagement in the Broader Middle East

Reflecting broad foreign policy themes dating to World War I, U.S. grand strategy in the Middle East since the Cold War has focused on establishing and managing a global security system to contain and deter outside threats. Given Eurasia's demographic and economic/technical strength, a dominant power or powers arising from

May 3, 2016

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James Jeffrey
Michael Eisenstadt

Fikra Forum

Egyptian Newspapers: On Jews and Israel

April 22, 2016 Following a number of nationalist, independent and partisan Egyptian newspapers, including: Al-Ahram, Al Gomhuria, Al Akhbar, Al Youm Al Sabeh, Al-Masry Al-Youm, Al Wafd, Sawt al-Ummah and Al Shorouk in the past weeks reveals a surprising lack of discrepancy in their rhetoric towards events related to the

Apr 22, 2016

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Mohamed Abdelaziz

Fikra Forum

Sisi and the Absence of Politics

April 21, 2016 German philosopher and political scientist Hannah Arendt stated in one of her lectures that it is a problem when politicians make wrong decisions, but a catastrophe when they do not know how to present their decisions to the people. This saying perfectly encapsulates the Egyptian president’s latest

Apr 21, 2016

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Maged Atef

Fikra Forum

Egypt’s Security and the Libyan Civil War

April 17, 2016 On the periphery of international concern, the situation in Libya continues to disintegrate. Yet Libya’s eastern neighbor Egypt has consistently exercised its influence in determining the diplomatic outcomes of the five year-long crisis. Recently, Cairo hosted talks between U.N. special representative to Libya Martin Kobler and Libyan

Apr 17, 2016

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Erica Wenig

Brief Analysis

The Israeli Angle to the Saudi-Egyptian Island Deal

Riyadh and Cairo's new agreement on transferring islands and building a long-planned bridge between the Sinai and Arabian Peninsulas also signals emerging rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Apr 13, 2016

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Simon Henderson

Fikra Forum

The Egyptian Police, Between Innocence and Guilt in the Regeni Case

April 8, 2016 On the afternoon of this past January 24th, while Egypt was preparing for the fifth anniversary of the January 25 Revolution, the young Italian academic researcher Giulio Regeni disappeared in the middle of Cairo. His body turned up several days later, tossed near a security outpost on

Apr 8, 2016

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Ahmad Al-Sawy

Fikra Forum

Repercussions of the Saudi-Iranian Conflict on North Africa

March 31, 2016 The Iranian Shura Council and Assembly of Experts elections in February have resulted in gains for moderate reformists in a peaceful political contest. The elections’ contrast to the region’s political turmoil brings to mind the ironic words of British Parliamentarian Jock Bruce-Gardyne. In 1966, the politician described

Mar 31, 2016

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Nouh El Harmouzi

Articles & Testimony

Strong Team Faces High Hurdles

Given the risks associated with further economic reform, Egypt's appointment of new and highly qualified cabinet ministers will not necessarily result in new policies.

Mar 30, 2016

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Eric Trager

Brief Analysis

Egypt Renews Its Crackdown on NGOs

By once again targeting foreign-funded NGOs, Sisi's government is reactivating the cycle of recriminations that nearly torpedoed the U.S.-Egypt relationship four years ago.

Mar 24, 2016

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Eric Trager

Fikra Forum

The Egyptian Media, the Conflict of Agencies, and the President

Despite the wave of derision and mockery in response to Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s latest discourse, the president appears determined to send a message of forbearance towards those who view him with fear and apprehension. He repeatedly delivered this message: referring to the office of the presidency, he stated

Mar 18, 2016

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Maged Atef

Fikra Forum

Hezbollah Labeled Terrorist by GCC States – But What Do Their People Think?

March 8, 2016 In a remarkable if little-noticed development last week, all six GCC states – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain – formally designated the Lebanese movement Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. This week, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called this step “important and even amazing,” but

Mar 8, 2016

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David Pollock

Articles & Testimony

Promoting Strong and Inclusive Institutions in the Middle East

The main lesson imparted by the Arab Spring at the five year mark is that toppling dictators does not clear a straight path to democracy. Without establishing strong and inclusive institutions to make democratization sustainable following regime change, civil wars have broken out in Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Yemen, while

Feb 25, 2016

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Maurizio Geri

In-Depth Reports

The Five Factors Slowing Gaza Reconstruction

Mitchel Hochberg untangles the complex factors hindering Gaza reconstruction and shows why a clearer understanding is a necessary first step toward rectifying this dangerous situation.

Feb 22, 2016

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Mitchel Hochberg

Articles & Testimony

The Nile Basin Initiative and the Crisis of Collective Negotiations

There is no doubt that Egypt faces a slew of challenges and potentially dire consequences related to the Renaissance Dam that Ethiopia is currently constructing at the headwaters of the Nile. Some politicians and media personalities have attempted to characterize the construction of the Renaissance Dam as a side effect

Feb 19, 2016

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Yahya Ghanim

Articles & Testimony

Five Years After Mubarak's Fall, Lessons for Washington

By allowing events 6,000 miles away to outpace its decisionmaking, the Obama administration put itself in a lose-lose situation, which is why Egyptian and regional players regard U.S. policy during the uprising as a failure.

Feb 11, 2016

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Eric Trager

Articles & Testimony

Five Years On, Egypt Lacks Introspection

The revolution of January 25, 2011 remains the greatest act of social reassessment in Egypt’s history. All involved parties agreed on the importance of change for Egypt’s future, and that this future required the introduction of increasingly modern means and values. Its actors were dedicated to bringing Egyptian citizens a

Feb 11, 2016

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Ahmad Al-Sawy

Articles & Testimony

The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt: Headed for Internal Collapse?

The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt can be characterized as an intellectual and political movement distinguished by its relationship with the ruling regimes. After Gamal Abdel Nasser and his comrades swept away the Egyptian constitutional monarchy in 1952, the Brotherhood cemented its place in Egypt’s political arena, regarded as the most

Feb 4, 2016

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Mohammed Soliman

Articles & Testimony

The Fifth Anniversary of the January 25 Revolution: Weakened Regime, Weakened Revolutionaries

There is no denying Egypt’s current state of public discontent, stemming from deteriorating living conditions and a state of frustration over the repressive policies of the Sisi government. Today’s Egyptian citizen has lost the most basic guarantees of freedom, justice, and human dignity. The brutality of the security state awaits

Jan 28, 2016

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Muhammad Mansour

Articles & Testimony

Sisi's Fracturing Regime

Egypt's strongman is cracking down ahead of the revolution's fifth anniversary, but the real threat he faces isn't from protests.

Jan 22, 2016

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Eric Trager

Articles & Testimony

The Brotherhood Breaks Down

Although the group's vision for establishing an Islamist state in Egypt won't evaporate, the rigid internal discipline that defined its decisionmaking and mobilization is now a thing of the past.

Jan 17, 2016

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Eric Trager
Marina Shalabi

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Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics

The Washington Institute's Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics focuses on social, political, and economic developments in the Arab world, with an emphasis on the Arab countries of the Levant.

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Robert Satloff

Robert Satloff is the Segal Executive Director of The Washington Institute, a post he assumed in January 1993.

Haisam Hassanein

Haisam Hassanein was an Associate Fellow at The Washington Institute. Previously, he was the Institute's 2016-2017 Glazer Fellow, in which he focused on economic relations between Israel and Arab states. He has published in several media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, the New York Daily News, and the Jerusalem Post. His current research focuses on commercial diplomacy in the Middle East.

Hassanein earned his B.A. in political science from Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania. After completing an internship at the Institute in 2014, he enrolled in an M.A

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Policy Analysis on Egypt

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