Khaled Fahmy: 10 YEARS OF AL-SISI IN EGYPT

Gudrun Harrer in conversation with Khaled Fahmy 10 YEARS OF AL-SISI IN EGYPT It was 10 years ago, when Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi appeared on TV in a military beret to announce the suspension of Egypt’s constitution and the end of Mohamed Morsi’s presidency. The same day, several media outlets allegedly supporting Morsi’s party were closed and many journalists/directors arrested. While relentlessly controlling the media, Sisi also had something to offer. He was perceived as a devout Muslim whose political course would lead away from the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood. Also, parts of the population were pinning their hopes on him in view of the country’s economic difficulties. How did democracy, human rights and economy develop since then? How does the West deal with Egypt and Sisi’s regime? What is Sisi’s reaction to the most recent military-political challenges in the region?  Having been educated at the American University in Cairo and the University of Oxford, and having earlier taught at Princeton, NYU, Columbia, Harvard and Cambridge Universities, Khaled Fahmy is an historian of the modern Middle East with special emphasis on nineteenth century Egypt. Currently, he is Professor at Tufts University. Gudrun Harrer, Senior Editor at Der Standard, Lecturer on Modern History and Politics of the Middle East, University of Vienna and Diplomatic Academy of Vienna