ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 focuses on Egypt. Egypt has presented itself as a regional model and leader since the early days of the Nasser administration. By providing a blend of both Arabism and Islam, Egypt seemed to be the natural leader of the MENA region. Egypt’s secular nationalist approach has enjoyed a widespread appeal in the region to the extent that Egypt, Syria and North Yemen formed a brief union between 1958 and 1961 with the capital being Cairo and Nasser its president. An interesting mixture of secularism, etátism, socialism, and Arab nationalism accompanied by modernist tones has formed the appeal of the Egyptian approach. With the Arab uprisings and the Tahrir revolution, the secularist order has come to a brief end with the Muslim Brotherhood winning the first free elections in 2012. Followed by a coup d’état in 2013 Egypt’s foreign policy seems to return to its basics in the region. While Egypt still identifies itself as the leader of the region (especially of the Arab world) the events of the Egyptian Crisis (2011–2014) and the overthrow of a democratically elected government seem to hurt Egypt’s appeal as a natural regional leader. Frequently used foreign policy role conceptualizations since the Arab uprisings include ‘protector of Muslim minorities,’ ‘regional protector,’ and ‘facilitator of Arab solidarity.’
