ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the regional environment and the regime’s regional alignments are analyzed. It begins with theoretical considerations, highlighting that the regional order has been shaped by power struggles and balancing behavior, as well as by ideational factors which unite and divide actors. Two dividing lines structured the region in particular: (1) sectarianism and the clash between Shia Iran and the Sunni KSA; and (2) Political Islam and the clash between supporters and opponents of the MB. The analyses of the regional economic and security environments reveal that both were highly impacted by the turmoil following 2011. It also shows that several state leaderships aspired for more influence, but that none succeeded in becoming the hegemon, because both economic and military power were distributed among several WANA states. Thereafter, the interests and policies of the most powerful WANA states are examined, and finally, Egypt’s bilateral relations to the regime’s main regional partners are laid out in detail. In line with the two dividing lines, Qatar and Turkey, the main supporters of Political Islam, were the regime’s main regional foes, and the KSA and the UAE were the regime’s prime backers, as they sided with Egypt in regard to both divisions.
