Rendering other countries as threat: How the current Egyptian regime created acceptance for its rule

What is it about?

The article shows how foreign countries were represented in Egypt's domestic discourses after the so-called January 25 Revolution and how these representations helped the military regime under Sisi to manifest its political power. I argue that foreign countries were permanently rendered as threat by the military government and Egyptian mainstream media to create a common enemy and make people believe that they need protection. I chose the example of Egypt to show how the analysis of national domestic discourses contributes to a better understanding of international politics more widely.

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Why is it important?

The article is important because it shows in detail how a typical populist rhetorical strategy - the creation of a shared enemy - successfully worked out. At the moment, there are many populists in power, such as Donald Trump in the US. It is important to learn about potential effects of their rhetorical strategies, also in order to make people more aware about the dangers of populism. The article is also important because he provides rare in-depth empirical data that were collected during the Egyptian transformation process 2011-14. Furthermore, I want to show how that people not just believe that there is a common enemy because they are told so. They might believe it because they had real experiences to which such claims relate. This shows us, how past experiences, such as military or other interventions, can have a long-term effect.

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