Egypt

Policy Analysis on Egypt

Turkey Pivots to Tripoli: Implications for Libya’s Civil War and U.S. Policy

Facing pressure from General Haftar and his foreign military backers, the Tripoli government has welcomed the helping hand extended by Ankara, whose own lack of regional options has drawn it into the middle of another conflict.

Dec 19, 2019

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Soner Cagaptay
Ben Fishman

Articles & Testimony

What Will It Take to Repair Middle Eastern Economies?

Directly investing in nongovernmental enterprise and giving international approval to private competition can change the dynamic in individual countries, promote liberal economies, and give citizens greater agency.

Dec 8, 2019

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Bilal Wahab

Brief Analysis

Israeli Gas Export Route to Egypt Finalized

The two countries still need to resolve longer-term questions about international export options and energy contracts with Jordan, but the latest step toward reopening the pipeline is encouraging.

Nov 13, 2019

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

The Renaissance Dam Negotiations: An Egyptian View

The U.S.-brokered talks are a good start, but breaking the impasse on the GERD reservoir’s fill rate is crucial to avoiding deep socioeconomic damage in Egypt and potential armed conflict.

Nov 12, 2019

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Mahmoud Farouk

Brief Analysis

Why Turkey Is Raising the Stakes in the East Mediterranean

Ankara is willing to take provocative and risky steps around Cyprus because it views the island’s gas resources and strategic location as crucial to countering rivals and securing interests in the neighborhood.

Nov 4, 2019

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Soner Cagaptay

Brief Analysis

New Gaza Crossing Raises Questions About Blockade Policies

The items being moved from Egypt through Salah al-Din Gate underline the contradictions and long-term unsustainability of the current stalemate regarding Gaza assistance.

Oct 23, 2019

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Neri Zilber

Brief Analysis

Egypt Takes Another Step Toward China

Port projects and other outreach may help President Sisi check off some of his policy goals, but giving China such a foothold could threaten a number of U.S. interests in the region.

Aug 19, 2019

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Haisam Hassanein

Brief Analysis

Turkey’s Energy Confrontation with Cyprus

While much of the world is focused on the Strait of Hormuz, tensions are also mounting rapidly in the East Mediterranean.

Jul 24, 2019

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Now That Morsi Is Gone, Sisi Should Ease His Crackdown

The resilient Muslim Brotherhood is only feeding off Cairo’s repression campaign, which cannot ensure stability indefinitely given the government’s failures on other fronts.

Jun 21, 2019

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Barak Barfi

Brief Analysis

Death of Divisive Morsi Could Unite Egypt’s Opposition

Jun 20, 2019

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Haisam Hassanein

Brief Analysis

China’s Middle East Policy: Speak Softly and Wave a Large Purse

An Israeli analyst shares observations from an intensive round of discussions with senior Chinese military, diplomatic, and academic officials.

Jun 17, 2019

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Ehud Yaari

Brief Analysis

East Mediterranean Energy and Middle East Peace

The slow but steady progress in developing offshore gas fields is transforming local economies and could underpin U.S. peace plans.

Jun 13, 2019

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Ramadan Soap Operas Contradict Sisi’s Outreach to Israel

Despite Egypt’s warming relations with the Israeli government, the country’s airwaves and movie theaters are still rife with bellicose and anti-Semitic content.

Jun 7, 2019

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Haisam Hassanein

Turkish president Erdogan - Source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Erdogan’s Failure on the Nile

How Turkey’s president went from being a regional Islamist leader in the Arab Spring to sharing Qatar’s role as the Middle East’s odd man out.

May 28, 2019

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Soner Cagaptay

Brief Analysis

After the Islamic State, Renewed Urgency for Religious Reform

The IS “caliphate” may have perished, but its ideology and capacity for future outbreaks will persist unless more vigorous reforms are instituted.

Apr 5, 2019

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Dina Al Raffie

Egyptian and Israeli flags along the Sinai border

Brief Analysis

The Second Step in Egypt-Israel Peace Is a Tall One

Despite their treaty’s rock-solid record on preventing armed conflict, the two countries still hold fundamentally different views on further normalization.

Mar 26, 2019

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Haisam Hassanein

President Jimmy Carter, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin shake hands at the White House as the Camp David Accords are announced.

Articles & Testimony

40 Years of Peace Between Israel and Egypt

Sadat and Begin gambled everything, and the bet continues to pay off despite the dearth of normalization between the two societies.

Mar 25, 2019

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Dennis Ross
David Makovsky

Brief Analysis

Organizational Split and Radicalization Within Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood

Internal structural changes and ideological rifts have given rise to new strategies for legitimizing violence.

Mar 4, 2019

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Annette Ranko
Mohammad Yaghi

Brief Analysis

Cyprus Gas Discovery Could Be an East Mediterranean Game-Changer

The latest success will encourage more exploration in the area, but probably more regional rivalry as well.

Mar 1, 2019

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

Russia’s Growing Influence in North Africa

Moscow casts itself as a reliable mediator and security partner, but in actuality it benefits from playing all sides of regional disputes and fostering perpetual low-level conflict.

Feb 26, 2019

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Supported by the

Program on Arab Politics

The Washington Institute's 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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