Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Maged Mandour is a political analyst who is a regular contributor to the Arab Digest, Middle East Eye, and Open Democracy and author of an upcoming book entitled “Egypt Under Sisi.”
Maged Mandour is a political analyst who writes openDemocracy’s “Chronicles of the Arab Revolt” column, which covers the affairs of the Arab world with a special focus on social change in the post-Arab Spring Middle East. He research interests include political violence, state repression, class formation, and capitalist development in the Arab world, as well as the international relations of the Middle East, with a special focus on Egypt. He has also made a number of media appearances as a commentator on Egyptian affairs. He has an M.A. in International Relations from Cambridge University, where his thesis explored Egyptian policy toward Hamas using Gramsci’s theory of hegemony.
For years, economic growth rates have obscured the flaws of Egyptian state capitalism, trapping the economy in a cycle of debt, poverty, and massive crises.
A growing alliance between Cairo and Paris is resulting in significant foreign policy coordination and in political and economic repercussions in both Egypt and France.
Sisi’s call for religious renewal falls within the regime’s attempt to centralize power in its hands by creating a top-down version of state sponsored Islam anchored in conservative social values.
Although Egypt’s Sisi regime once perpetuated propaganda against Hamas at home, today its foreign and domestic standing is contingent on a strong relationship with the Gaza-based group.
Years in the making, Sisi’s elite New Administrative Capital will isolate most Egyptians from their centers of government in an effort to fortify the regime against any social pressures.
As the globe races to inoculate against COVID-19, in Egypt President Sisi’s regime plans to profit from the essential shot.
Ill-suited to cope with any social unrest, the Sisi-regime utilizes mass repression to prevent change.
The Egyptian regime’s economic strategy guarantees that any emerging demands for democratization will clash with international interests.
The Egyptian government’s fiscal and economic policies are accelerating the transfer of wealth from lower and middle classes to itself and business elites, with likely devastating consequences.
In the response to the pandemic, Sisi’s security dominated government has focused on spreading misinformation, propaganda, and repression rather than addressing the health crisis.
Sada is an online journal rooted in Carnegie’s Middle East Program that seeks to foster and enrich debate about key political, economic, and social issues in the Arab world and provides a venue for new and established voices to deliver reflective analysis on these issues.
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