Rafales, Apaches, and Farmlands

Egypt Security Sector Report

This week’s report captures a state trying to project power in every direction. The Air Force is everywhere: pushing its agricultural empire beyond Egypt’s borders, taking delivery of another batch of Rafales, and locking in a multibillion-dollar Apache package through Washington. At home, Sisi is still using academy visits to relive his 2011 fears, civil society remains under the thumb of Homeland Security, and police violence in Qena exposes the regime’s impunity. Meanwhile, the parliamentary first round is collapsing under its own fraud, with courts annulling results at a scale that embarrasses even the Ministry of Interior. Historic neighborhoods are being torn down, and Sudanese refugees keep arriving with trauma and almost no protection.

Electoral Drama (Part 2)

The parliamentary fiasco continues. Saturday night, the Supreme Administrative Court annulled the electoral first round results in 29 constituencies, raising the total number of annulled constituencies to 48 out of 70.

From the 14 affected governorates, there are four whose all constituencies were annulled: al-Wadi al-Gadid, Qena, Sohag, and Asyut.

Simply, this is a slap on the face of the Ministry of Interior (MOI)’s Homeland Security.

Sisi Turns Military Academy Vetting into Another Therapy Session About 2011