Speakers
Sahar Aziz
Distinguished Professor of Law; Chancellor's Social Justice Scholar; and Founding Director of the Center for Security, Race and Rights, Rutgers University Law School
Nathan Brown
Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University
May Darwich
Associate Professor of International Relations of the Middle East, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Abdel-Fattah Mady
Professor of Political Science and Chair of the State and Political Systems Studies Unit, Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies
Robert Springborg
Nonresident Research Fellow, Italian Institute of International Affairs; Adjunct Professor in the School of International Studies, Simon Fraser University
Moderator
About the Book Talk
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi has sought to create a “New Republic,” a stronger, more authoritarian state capable of positively transforming Egypt’s polity, economy, society, and role in the region and the world. Thus far, success has been elusive. Why? And with what consequences for the regime and the country? These are the two questions at the heart of the new book Egypt’s New Authoritarian Republic. The authors effectively combine an overview of the means by which the Sisi government has increased its power with in-depth studies of how that power is exercised, arguing that the regime’s performance is undermining rather than bolstering its legitimacy.
Arab Center Washington DC and the Center for Security, Race and Rights at Rutgers University Law School are organizing a webinar to explore the rise and consolidation of authoritarianism in 
Egypt under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi and assess their internal and external implications. We are pleased to host the editors of the book, contributing authors, and renowned experts on the topic to discuss the regime’s strategies of political control, repression, and legitimation. The discussion will also address the restructuring of state institutions, the securitization of public life, and the marginalization of opposition forces, alongside the regime’s appeals to stability, counterterrorism, and economic modernization. Particular attention will be given to the implications for governance, human rights, and US-Egypt relations, as well as the broader lessons for understanding authoritarian resilience in the Middle East.
