Mulugeta Ayene/AP/Press Association. All rights reserved.When El Sisi officially came to power, it was the hope of many in both Egypt and the west that he would be the strongman to bring stability to Egypt.
Coming to power on a massive wave of repression, fueled by an undeniable personality cult for those nostalgic for Nasser, he seemed poised to perform the role of the ‘saviour’ who would pluck Egypt out of chaos. This role is heavily engraved in the Egyptian collective psyche due to Nasser’s legacy, which sees history as the product of the actions of ‘great men’ rather than social change and class struggle.
Sisi, at the outset of his rule, received lavish international as well as domestic support in the mission of stabilizing Egypt and quelling any source of protest and unrest. A rapid return to the pre-2011 status quo was expected. However, recent news coming from Egypt has been less tranquil.
