Egypt’s El-Sisi Suffers a Stunning Reversal of Fortunes
Trump’s “favorite dictator” can’t bank on the U.S. to bail him out.
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Twelve months ago, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi seemed to be enjoying the best year of his reign. The general-turned-politician was presiding over an economic rebound that had made Egypt the Middle East’s
And he was enjoying the enthusiastic backing of Egypt’s two most important foreign allies, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia; President Trump thought he was doing
Nor can Sisi hope for much succor from Saudi Arabia. Although the Saudis mediated the 2018 Ethiopia-Eritrea peace accord, they have had little influence on the Nile negotiations. And Saudi relations with Turkey
Egypt isn’t entirely friendless in Libya, but it is not clear that rebel commander Khalifa Haftar’s other backers — notably the United Arab Emirates and Russia — will boost their support if Libya’s government forces, with more help from the Turks, storm the strategic port of Sirte. Sisi had declared Sirte as his line in the sand, suggesting
Sisi may soon be forced to decide. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to have embarked on
Matters are not quite as kinetic in the south, despite the
As if these two foreign-policy challenges were not onerous enough, a third looms to the north: Israel’s proposed annexation of large parts of the West Bank. Sisi has strengthened relations with Israel — a
Under such circumstances, the prospect of holding office until 2030 may come to feel more like a curse than a blessing.
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Bobby Ghosh at aghosh73@bloomberg.net