Sanaa El BannaAbstract: The shift towards far-right politics and the rise of support for authoritarianism have been two marked trends in international politics. These trends can be linked to the phenomenon of the retreat of liberalism as its promise of economic prosperity along with progressive democracy has failed to deliver on both terms. The effect of these trends is palpable when considering the EU policies towards the Middle East region, and especially in Egypt in the aftermath of the January 25 revolution. In the last eight years, the EU policies towards Egypt have been characterized by two features: turning a blind eye to the unprecedented Human Rights violations committed by the regime, and the focus on making economic gains through business deals, and pushing drastic reform measures regardless of their impact on the Egyptian people. However, the current trend is expected to increase political and socio-economic tension both in countries of the EU and in Egypt and will set the region into another cycle of violence.
About the Author:
Sanaa El Banna is a Lecturer Assistant at the Department of Politics and Economic Sciences - Cairo University. She obtained her first MA degree in Sociology from the University of Cambridge 2010-2011 and her second degree from the American University in Cairo, Comparative Politics department in 2012.