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Egypt’s New Authoritarianism under al-Sisi
Abstract
Many analysts of Egyptian politics assert that Abd al-Fatah al-Sisi has simply reconstituted the authoritarian order of the Mubarak era. This paper will argue that, while there are important areas of continuity, there are also important differences between the two regimes. It will focus on the following areas: the military’s political and economic role; the strategy for building a durable elite coalition that supports the regime; and the public attitude toward state authority cultivated in speeches by the President and in official propaganda. The paper will draw on economic data, patterns of military appointments at the national and provincial level, published interviews with prominent members of the elite, voting data from the 2015 parliamentary elections, data on the awarding of government contracts for major infrastructure projects, and speeches and statements by al-Sisi and other senior officials. The paper finds that post-2011 authoritarianism in Egypt differs from the Mubarak era in several respects. It grants a more central political and economic role to the military, draws on a relative narrow base of support within the elite, and relies heavily on constructing a public climate of fear toward both external and internal threats to justify public support for the regime.
Discipline
Political Science
Geographic Area
Egypt
Sub Area
19th-21st Centuries