Environmental Issues, Natural Resources, and Quality of Life

How Do Environmental Problems Affect Egypt? Egypt faces grave environmental problems that negatively impact the health and well-being of its citizens and threaten the country’s unique natural and cultural heritages. Like many middle and low-income “developing” countries, Egypt must grapple with environmental problems associated with...

The Rise of Modern Egypt

How Has Geography Shaped Egypt? A quick glance at a satellite photo of Egypt reveals the country’s unusual geography: a narrow strip of green along the Nile River fanning into a verdant river delta, surrounded on both sides by vast deserts. Ninety-five percent of Egypt’s...

Prospects and Challenges for the Future

Is Egypt Likely to Democratize? Democracy is generally understood to have two components: the selection of a country’s leadership through competitive elections in which most adults may run for office and vote; and the creation of institutions that constrain state power, render the state accountable...

Foreign Affairs

How Does Geography Shape Egypt’s Foreign Policy? Egyptians consider their country the natural leader of the region in part due to its location at the crossroads of Africa, Europe, and Asia. The completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 reinforced the country’s geographic centrality, making...

Religion

What Role Do Coptic Christians Play in Egyptian Politics and Society? Egypt held an important position in the early development of Christianity. In the three centuries after the death of Jesus, Alexandria was one of the primary centers for debate over the doctrine and beliefs...

Economic Development and Human Welfare

What Is Egypt’s Level of Human Development? For many decades, national development was measured in terms of simplistic economic indicators such as gross national product (GNP). Several scholars challenged these measures in the 1970s. Amartya Sen, Mahbub al-Haq, Martha Nussbaum, and others argued that human...

Building a New Regime

What Caused the Military Coup in 1952? What Were Its Goals? The political order created after Egypt’s independence in 1922 was a disappointment to many Egyptians. The struggle for power among the Wafd Party, other political parties, the king, and the British produced a chaotic...

The 2011 Uprising and Its Aftermath

What Happened on January 25, 2011? Egyptian activists called for street protests against the long-standing rule of President Hosni Mubarak on January 25, 2011 using a variety of social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. They chose January 25 because it is National Police...