The Middle East: geopolitical and strategic analysis

3 episodes

Épisode 1/3

Egypt: more than a decade in power and increasingly authoritarian rule

On October 28th, 2025

4 min reading time

Sarah Ben Néfissa

Emeritus Research Director at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD)

Since coming to power in 2013, Egyptian President al-Sisi has established a political regime based on intense authoritarianism.
The current regime has weakened all countervailing powers, from opposition political parties to Parliament.
It is now impossible to rely on official election results to understand Egyptians’ support for the current government.
Al-Sisi aims to build state capitalism using tools such as neoliberal austerity policies and the pricing of public goods and services.
Reducing water waste is a key national issue, and several measures, such as lining the Nile’s irrigation canals, have been proposed.

Épisode 2/3

On October 14th, 2025

4 min reading time

Camille Abescat

Postdoctoral Researcher in ERC MENA-PERC project and Doctoral Associate at Centre de Recherches Internationales at Sciences Po

Jordan, ruled for 25 years by King Abdullah II, is presented as an “island of stability” in the Middle East.
Jordan’s 1952 Constitution defines it as a hereditary and parliamentary monarchy.
However, this stability is relative: for many Jordanians, the creation of a National Security Council, for example, is a way of circumventing the countervailing power of existing institutions.
The September 2024 parliamentary elections saw the Islamic Action Front gain ground, and a few months later, Amman decided to ban the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The regional crisis has damaged Jordan’s tourism sector, and President Trump’s return to office has called into question US financial support for the country.

Épisode 3/3

On September 24th, 2025

4 min reading time

Aurélie Daher

Senior Lecturer in Political Science at Université Paris-Dauphine PSL

After two years of political deadlock, Lebanon elected a new president, Joseph Aoun, in January 2025 and recently appointed a new head of government, Nawaf Salam.
While these elections have enabled some battles to be won (such as banking sector reform), Lebanon remains dependent on external aid for its recovery.
Seats in Parliament are allocated to communities according to quotas set in 1990 and are not representative of the country's most popular parties.
Today, Israel still has complete freedom to attack Lebanese territory, its population and its infrastructure.
The international community has not yet presented any effective plan to help Lebanon address the challenges posed by the large number of refugees in the country.