ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter starts by briefly sketching out Egypt’s foreign relations in the past, setting the context for the primary research question: How can Egypt’s external alignments after the military coup in 2013 be explained? It highlights that the main aim of the book is to contribute to an empirical research gap, as Egypt’s external relations since 2013 have not yet been sufficiently analyzed. Then, the dependent variable—external alignments—is defined, and the analytical framework—the model of two-staged alignment formation—is introduced. The model incorporates elements of three different IR schools—neorealism, neo-Marxism, and constructivism—and emphasizes that developments on three levels—domestic, regional, and global—have to be considered. Thereafter, the methodology as well as data and sources used in this book are briefly discussed, before an overview of subsequent chapters is provided.
