"The 2011 uprising did not create the mess—the decisions of powerful actors did. Pining for the status quo ante, the elites failed to meet the most basic popular demands; now they are trying to contain the lingering tensions while building a new regime amidst intense competition among old regime figures and newer entrants. These struggles, in addition to the structural fiscal weakness of the state and the poor economy, generate fears of a polity coming undone and explain the viciousness of the backlash.
Is it a house of cards? Many Egyptian observers say that no amount of aid from the Gulf, US diplomatic cover and police brutality can keep the state running. More than one person openly told me that Sisi might be overthrown, despite the huge investments and grand spectacles that went into putting him on the wobbling throne, and despite his attempts to place his sons high up in intelligence agencies. It is a bold prognostication. Yet one need only read the newspapers and be in Cairo to see the outlines of such a narrative."
Also,
“That’s what’s new — the suffering of the rich,” said Ibrahim Eissa, a prominent journalist who was once among Mr. Sisi’s loudest advocates, but who recently published a withering attack on the president’s policies. Mr. Eissa said: “No class or demographic is happy now, from Alexandria to Upper Egypt. Sisi isn’t satisfying anyone.”
Also,
“That’s what’s new — the suffering of the rich,” said Ibrahim Eissa, a prominent journalist who was once among Mr. Sisi’s loudest advocates, but who recently published a withering attack on the president’s policies. Mr. Eissa said: “No class or demographic is happy now, from Alexandria to Upper Egypt. Sisi isn’t satisfying anyone.”
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