From Morsi to Al-Sisi: Foreign Policy at the Service of Domestic Policy

The events of Tahrir square have not revolutionised Egyptian foreign policy, which, in line with its traditions, remains at the service of internal issues. At the time of Morsi, Cairo’s foreign policy was influenced by the tumultuous and polarised internal political climate, and this continues to be the case with president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Showing itself to be unable to outline a strategic vision over the long term, Egypt continues to instrumentalise its diplomatic relations. The objectives are, above all, two: to keep alive an economically fragile country, and to reassert the strategic importance, and therefore the value, of a stable Egypt in the region. By analysing the constants of Egyptian foreign policy and highlighting its innovative aspects, this paper focuses on the dossiers on which the future of the country depends. Even if the media emphasise the renewed closeness of Cairo to Moscow, this author underlines how Al-Sisi does not really intend to change the route of Egyptian foreign policy.