Since 2011, Egypt has witnessed protests, political turnovers, sporadic violence, and waves of repression. A younger generation of activists energized long-stagnant politics in countrywide demonstrations that ousted President Hosni Mubarak. They were soon pushed aside, however, by an intense rivalry that pitted the military and secular parties against the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement banned for decades.

In modern Egypt’s first democratic elections, in 2011 and 2012, the Brotherhood won the presidency and a plurality in parliament. Its rise was short-lived. The judiciary voided the parliamentary vote and dissolved the legislature in 2012. In 2013, after months of tension, Egypt’s political crisis imploded when the army, led by Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a former field marshal and chief-of-staff, ousted President Mohamed Morsi, the only civilian president democratically elected in the Arab region’s most populous country. The move against Morsi deepened the political schism. Millions of Egyptians had taken to the street against Morsi, but large numbers also protested the forced departure of Morsi. A crackdown by security forces killed hundreds. Egypt declared a state of emergency.

The military steadily cemented its political dominance. The constitution was amended to enshrine the military’s prominent role in politics and prohibit political parties founded on religion. The government also issued a new law banning unauthorized gatherings of more than 10 people. The judiciary charged Morsi with espionage and unspecified “aggressive acts.” He was subsequently sentenced to death. The government designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

In 2014, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi won a new presidential election. Civil society was marginalized. Human rights groups charged that freedom of expression and movement by any opposition figures—secular or Islamist—was increasingly curtailed.

Internal tensions were complicated by militants in the Sinai Peninsula who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2014. In 2015, ISIS staged a wave of attacks in the Sinai against the military, Coptic Christians and the Sufi community. It also claimed the downing of a Russian airliner. The Egyptian army launched a major offensive against ISIS, but failed to quash it. Militant groups grew bolder in their attacks, including on police and security personnel, in 2016 and 2017.

In 2017 and 2018, the government imposed new restrictions regulating non-government organizations and charities. Growing economic woes also led the government to slash public subsidies of electricity and water, raise fuel prices and hike public transportation fares.

In 2018, Egypt marked the seventh anniversary of the Arab Spring uprising by closing off routes to Tahrir Square. In March, el-Sissi was re-elected with 97 percent of the vote, although the turnout was low and he faced virtually no competition.

This timeline was assembled with the help of graphic research by Lindsay Jodoin and editorial research by Garrett Nada and Mattisan Rowan.

Related Publications

How a Gaza Marine Deal Could Benefit Palestinians, Israelis and the Region

How a Gaza Marine Deal Could Benefit Palestinians, Israelis and the Region

Thursday, August 3, 2023

By: Ambassador Hesham Youssef

Amid today’s dismal Israeli-Palestinian context, positive developments have been in short supply. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s June announcement of preliminary approval for the development of the Gaza Marine gas fields provided a rare glimpse of a potential win-win opportunity. For the Palestinians, it could provide a much-needed boost to their lagging economy and the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority (PA). On the Israeli side, it allows the Netanyahu government to claim it is assisting in improving living conditions in Gaza and could lead to less U.S. pressure on issues like settlement expansion. In the big picture, this is another example of how energy is increasingly becoming a focus for potential win-win agreements in the East Mediterranean.

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Economics

Takeaways from Blinken’s Trip to the Middle East

Takeaways from Blinken’s Trip to the Middle East

Friday, February 3, 2023

By: Robert Barron;  Caroline Dibble;  Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen;  Garrett Nada;  Ambassador Hesham Youssef

The Middle East has not been a high priority for the Biden administration thus far, with issues such as Russia’s war in Ukraine and escalating tensions with China taking precedence. However, recent developments in the region are catching the administration’s attention, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Egypt, Israel and the West Bank earlier this week sought to reaffirm U.S. engagement in the Middle East amid political turnover in Israel, spiraling violence in the Israeli-Palestinian arena, stepped-up Iran-Israel tensions and a deepening economic crisis in Egypt.

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Peace Processes

Amid War in Ukraine, Russia’s Lavrov Goes on Diplomatic Offensive

Amid War in Ukraine, Russia’s Lavrov Goes on Diplomatic Offensive

Thursday, August 25, 2022

By: Heather Ashby, Ph.D.;  Jude Mutah, Ph.D.;  Jason Tower;  Ambassador Hesham Youssef

As Russia’s unprovoked and illegal war against Ukraine enters its seventh month, the Russian government continues its diplomatic offensive to prevent more countries from joining international condemnation and sanctions for its military aggression. Between July and August, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov traveled to Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda, the Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Cambodia — the last as part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. This tour represented an evolving reorientation of Russian foreign policy from Europe to the Global South that has accelerated since Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine in 2014.

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Global Policy

‘Firefighting’ Diplomacy Will Not Achieve Peace Between Israelis and Palestinians

‘Firefighting’ Diplomacy Will Not Achieve Peace Between Israelis and Palestinians

Monday, May 9, 2022

By: Ambassador Hesham Youssef

The good news is that there are intensive regional and international efforts to avoid another Israeli-Palestinian war. The preventive effort has been extensive, and the United States seems to be carefully monitoring the situation. The bad news is the reconfirmation of what most already know: the Israeli-Palestinian status quo is volatile and not sustainable. The resulting successive wars only take us many steps further away from peace.

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Peace Processes

View All Publications