Egypt’s Balancing Act

'Egypt’s Balancing Act' analyses the political landscape of this country after the Arab Spring and its astonishing influence on regional politics. It focuses on Egypt, one of the most populated countries in the Middle East, adding historical and geo-strategic significance to it, as this book traces Egypt’s political metamorphosis, looking at the home concerns and the international relations with both allies and rivals. The emerging events of both propelling forces and consequences of the revolution are explored in detail, which began with the Arab Spring in 2011, overthrowing the long-term leader Hosni Mubarak and dramatically changing national politics. 2011 was pivotal because it marked the Hosni period alongside tumultuous shifts within the country’s politics. The initial chapters extensively illuminate the details of the uprising. Deep political divides alongside the social and economic injustice during Mubarak’s regime contributed significantly towards the political and historical landmark for Egypt. It delves into the inevitable rise and fall phase of the Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi’s presidency, overwhelming uprisings, and social divides, enabling Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to rise to power. Currently, Egypt is contending with Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, reinforcing a period of political settling and economic restructuring, albeit not controversy-free or fundamentally easy.In the latter region, this volume deep-dives into the ruling order’s technique of managing a multiethnic society’s expectations and security needs.This also considers the government’s expenditures policies, such as the foreign investment-driven colossal infrastructure projects, while considering the human rights violations and political repression aspects.The authors also attempt to describe in depth how Egypt policies its regional affairs, one of the book’s salient subjects. The country exerts significant power and acts as a regional superpower in the Middle East to dominate the political and social relations of other Arab countries. This is detailed, and other activities of Egypt in the Arab League are comparatively discussed in the text. It analyses Egypt’s strategic interests and how they deal with different regional problems like the devastating civil wars in Libya, Syria, Yemen and the rise of terrorist groups. The text aims to compare Egypt with other global or local powers in these situations. Other relations also covered in the book are the relations between Egypt and Israel, which include the close border security collaboration and the more distant cooperation.The book also examines Egypt’s relations with Gulf nations, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, highlighting partnerships forged through economic aid and shared objectives. It also covers emerging powers like China and Russia, analysing their impact on Egypt’s foreign and economic policies. The book’s exploration of these relationships provides valuable insights into the global dynamics that shape Egypt’s foreign policy decisions.Their influence is discussed in Egypt’s domestic politics and regional policies to explain the geopolitical dimensions of Egypt’s decisions. 'Egypt’s Balancing Act offers a synthesised account of the evolution of Egyptian politics and its position within the Middle East. The author’s assessment of the interplay of domestic factors and external pressures gives remarkable insights into Egypt’s enduring quest for stability and ambitions in the region’s turbulent environment.