The GCC states are, to varying degrees, opening up to digital finance. This is part of an effort to diversify their economies and wean themselves off U.S.-dominated monetary systems.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi is building a new republic defined by a social ethos of “nothing for free,” a new form of state capitalism, and hyperpresidential powers set within a military guardianship that secures his regime but leaves it unable to resolve political, economic, and social challenges.

For the country’s revival to be successful after years of war, inclusion of the population and democratization during the transitional period will be necessary, or national cohesion may be undermined.