Stability is an illusion

Demokratie und Demokratisierung erscheinen derzeit als gefährliche Luxusgüter. Dieses E-Paper bietet einen einführenden Überblick in die Reihe „Stabilität ist eine Illusion“ zu den aktuellen Entwicklungen in zentralen Politikfeldern Ägyptens.

Brutal regime repression, including rape and torture in detention, has initiated and fueled radicalization amoung youth activists who had originally adopted non-violent strategies.

The Egyptian economy is in continuous decline. To a significant extent, this crisis is a result of the ways in which the current rulers have secured their power and avoided social unrest.

Despite waging a «war on terror» for more than three years, the current Egyptian leadership has failed to provide lasting security. Instead of focusing on the real terrorist threats that do exist, the security approach was exploited to silence and remove political opponents and to squash resistance against authoritarian rule.

Contrary to external appearances and official propaganda, the Egyptian Armed Forces are not a unified and cohesive actor, and Abdelfattah al-Sisi is far from being an undisputed leader.