Subcommittee on the Middle East and Nort

Egypt Subcommittee on the Middle East and Nort

The political, economic, and security challenges that Egypt is facing right now are numerous and interdependent. It is extremely difficult for President Sisi to make necessary structural reforms to Egypt's economy without potentially undermining the fragile political support he is leaning on to bring much-needed stability to the country. If these economic reforms are not made soon, we may see a return of the unrest that we saw on Egyptian streets. And it is in this context that Egypt is facing growing security threats from an expanding ISIS and its Sinai Province affiliate, from al-Qaeda-linked groups, from militias, from extremists in Libya, and from particularly violent factions of the Muslim Brotherhood. While the security situation remains a high priority, the government's posture towards human rights has deteriorated; It has cracked down on civil society, and quashed dissent.