Ramy A. El-Dowek

Ramy A. El-Dowek is a Middle East analyst specializing in regional security, geopolitics, and International Relations. He holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Houston and writes on strategic developments shaping the Middle East.

Strategic Balancing or Strategic Drift? Egypt in a Reordered Middle East

Situation Reports - Apr 09, 2026

cc S.C. Air National Guard, modified, Four Egyptian air force maintenance officers tour McEntire Joint National Guard Base, S.C, during a F-16 maintenance Subject Matter Expert Exchange, Aug. 29-31, 2016. The exchange, hosted by U.S. Air Forces Central Command, allowed the officers to tour the back shops at McEntire and speak to South Carolina Air National Guard F-16 maintenance experts on best practices and a chance to interact with members of the U.S. Air Force. Engagements like these are an AFCENT command priority to develop relationships focusing on subject matter expert exchanges with partner nations. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Stephen D. Hudson/Released) / https://www.flickr.com/photos/thescang/29238082060

Upheavals in the longstanding security architecture of the Middle East are causing Egypt to rethink its longstanding policy of strategic balancing and possibly giving way to a new ‘Sunni Axis’ with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan.