For decades, Egypt has felt like a world unto itself. The state's preoccupations were internal: containing protests and arresting its critics and alleged terrorists. National concerns revolved around the availability of bread and work, the daily challenges of power blackouts and traffic jams, the latest football results. Increasingly, however, Cairo is becoming more involved with events in neighbouring countries. This is because the effects of those wars -- in Sudan, Syria, Gaza and Libya -- are coming to Egypt. One year ago the Egyptian army overthrew the Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, amid widespread support by Egyptians who held massive protests calling for Morsi's removal. Tens of thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters, as well as secular protesters, remain imprisoned. After a more than two-year slowdown, the police have returned to work and Egypt has a semblance of order. The mood remains tense, however, as the state begins a long-delayed removal of subsidies on fuel and food and cracks down on street vendors. Just as there is a new momentum in domestic affairs, Egypt is also ramping up its involvement in the region's affairs. Former field marshal Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, sworn in as president in June, is reasserting Egypt's historic regional role. Cairo [...]
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