Authoritarian Repression Under Sisi: New Tactics or New Tools?

Introduction In the decades prior to the 2011 Arab uprisings, scholars of the Middle East and North Africa produced a plethora of literature on the persistence of authoritarianism in the region (Bellin 2004; Makiya 1998). From clientelism and elite cohesion to personalised regimes and hereditary succession, research topics reflected a state-centred approach to explaining domestic political dynamics while marginalising non-state actors that were deemed peripheral to the circles of the politically relevant elite. Those exploring the role of civil society wrote about the weakness of political parties and their co-optation or the limits of non-governmental organisations, associations and unions (Heydemann 2007; Schlumberger 2007). Because specialists focused on formal institutions, they missed the new wave of informal networks and mobilisation movements that were emerging in the years leading up to 2011. Thus, when citizens took to the Egyptian streets in 2011, most academics were surprised (Gause 2011). By 2014, however, when Abdel Fattah al-Sisi formally assumed presidential powers in Egypt, the possibility of a democratic transition in the country was a distant reality. Academics who had written about ‘people power’ only a couple of years previously shifted their focus to the strength of Egypt's deep state, the economic and political power of the military and the re-emerging prominence of the security services. Alongside the re-emergence of authoritarianism came its familiar corollary: repression. This chapter contributes to the literature on Egypt's ‘new authoritarianism’ by posing the question: are the repressive tactics employed by Sisi to support his autocratic government really new or are they simply a continuation and enhancement of an authoritarian style that reaches back through a series of presidencies? Focusing on media censorship, cyber-surveillance and legislation, I contend that these particular tools used by Sisi are intensified versions of those employed by previous Egyptian presidents, even if enhanced by procurement of new surveillance technologies and techniques from other countries and foreign private companies. Repression: Theory and History On 25 January 2011, Egyptians took to the streets to protest against police brutality, corruption and the poor state of the economy. After eighteen days and a turn-out unprecedented in modern Egyptian history, Mubarak stepped down from power, leaving the military's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces