The Egyptian government's tightly-controlled national dialogue may leave room for minor economic reforms, but it's unlikely to generate the serious political changes that people are increasingly demanding. On May 3, the Egyptian government kicked off a multiday national political dialogue to brainstorm solutions to problems and generate ideas for reform. The summit, which will last a few weeks, features subcommittees that are allegedly discussing over 100 wide-ranging topics, including elections, education, national identity and the economy. But on the first day of the event, the organizers made clear certain subjects would be strictly off-limits, including any issues broadly related to Egypt's foreign policy, national security and constitution. Government officials have also pledged President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will take any recommendations presented by the subcommittees under serious consideration, though the decision to implement such proposals lies firmly in his hands....
