Introduction
Egypt’s political, economic and cultural connections with the Gulf Arab region have a long and rich history, going back to the efforts of Mohammed Ali Pasha, the Ottoman ruler of Egypt, to exert influence across the region in the first half of the 19th century. In the modern era, dating from the Free Officers’ revolution of 1952, Egypt’s political relations with the Gulf have veered between conflict and close cooperation, while the economic relationship has taken on features of dependency, in the form of financial support from the oil-rich Gulf states and flows of remittances from the millions of Egyptians working in these countries.
The current Egyptian ruler, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, received critical support from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at start of his regime, and has largely endorsed the regional political and military strategies of these two dominant Gulf Arab players, albeit with some reservations, notably over Yemen. Sisi has now entrenched his rule and laid the basis, through amendments to the constitution, for remaining in power until 2030.
The Egyptian economy is in much stronger shape than when Sisi seized power in 2013. This has lessened the degree of financial dependence on the Gulf. Sisi is also seeking to project Egypt’s influence in the Arab world, Africa and further afield in several areas, including military power, energy, trade and even healthcare. These ambitions do not, of themselves, conflict with the aspirations of Saudi Arabia and the UAE to project their own power and influence, but there is and will continue to be an edge of rivalry in Egypt’s relations with the dominant Gulf Arab powers.
As regards the remaining four member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Egypt has lent support to the Saudi- and UAE-inspired sanctions on Qatar, but without taking any action that would risk compromising its own interests, and has sought to develop strong and independent relations with Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.
This paper will focus primarily on the Egypt–Gulf relationship during the Sisi era, although it will also place this relationship in the context of earlier periods during which similar themes have been evident.