Abdel Fatah el-Sisi’s Mixed Record in Egypt

Since seizing power in 2013, Abdel Fatah el-Sisi has energetically cracked down on the Muslim Brotherhood and on Islamic State-affiliated groups, isolated Hamas, improved relations with Israel and the U.S., and taken steps to improve his country’s dire economic situation. Yet his war on Islamic State’s “Sinai Province” has failed to defeat the group and alienated local Bedouin; he has been ruthless—and sometimes brutal—in crushing internal dissent; he has taken to rigging elections; and most Egyptians can expect only worsening poverty. Eran Lerman, in a thorough study, assesses Sisi’s record and urges Washington not to abandon Cairo but to use its military aid as leverage to encourage political and economic reform as well as a more effective war on terror. As far as Israel is concerned, Lerman writes: