In the past two years, Egypt has played an active role on several fronts. It has mediated talks over Gaza and Iran’s nuclear programme, as well as working to de-escalate Israel’s military campaign in southern Lebanon. It has also backed the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the war in Sudan. On the surface, this new activism could be seen as restoring Egypt’s relevance and boosting its status as a regional stabilizer. But in reality, the Gaza war and the subsequent regional turmoil have fostered a regional order in which Egypt has been somewhat sidelined as Washington prioritizes its relations with Israel and the Gulf states. This partly reflects Egypt’s reactive and risk-averse approach to foreign policy, as well as its economic constraints that mean it is dependent on foreign investment.
Egypt’s foreign policy will remain too little, too late in 2026 (Ahmed Aboudouh – Chatham House)
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