Egypt, which for so long has been a great referent in the Arab World, seems to be entering decline, politically and economically. Could its authoritarian military regime have something to do with this? In this new episode of our series on Democracy and Populism, we have the pleasure of welcoming Egypt expert Eberhard Kienle. We discuss the particularities of Egypt’s authoritarianism and its institutions, the role of the military, the legacy of the Arab Spring, as well as some prospects for Al-Sissi in the upcoming December elections. 

Eberhard Kienle">Eberhard Kienle is a researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and a director of research at Sciences Po’s Centre de Recherches Internationales (CERI). He focuses on state transformation, failed states and state varieties, political economy and sociology, and interstate relations in the Middle East.  

Additional resource

Eberhard Kienle. Egypt. A Fragile Power">Egypt. A Fragile Power. Routledge, 2021

Eberhard Kienle. Why Have “Failed States” Failed to Disappear?">Why Have “Failed States” Failed to Disappear?. Les Dossiers du CERI, 2021

Eberhard Kienle. Revisiting the State, Again">Revisiting the State, Again. Centre de recherches internationales. Les Dossiers du CERI

Eberhard Kienle. A Grand Delusion. Democracy and Economic Reform in Egypt">A Grand Delusion. Democracy and Economic Reform in Egypt. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2001

Recorded on 4th October 2023

Conversations with Sergei GURIEV  is a podcast by Sciences Po. Hélène NAUDET supervised the production of this series., with the help of Blanca GONZALEZ MARTINEZ, Sciences Po Master student in Political Science. The Sciences Po audio department produced and mixed it. 

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