Egypt will use arms deals to boost regional standing

Significance

On March 12, Cairo announced a 2-billion-dollar deal to buy advanced fighter jets from Russia. This comes against the background of new data showing that Egypt has climbed to third place in the world in a ranking of arms imports over the past five years.

Impacts

• Diversification of Egypt’s procurement away from the United States will reduce Washington’s political leverage.
• The Egyptian armed forces’ prestige will be enhanced by the arms build-up.
• Gulf funders may exert pressure on Egypt to deploy its enhanced military muscle in support of conflicts in which they are engaged.