Egypt's reliance on foreign aid and its efforts to strengthen economic ties, especially with the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, will limit its foreign policy and ability to project influence in the region, likely leading Egypt to take a more mediating and peacekeeping role in regional conflicts. In recent months, Egypt has elevated its diplomatic engagement in conflicts in Africa and the Middle East. In mid-January, Egypt hosted technical discussions with a Somali delegation about contributing peacekeepers to a multilateral force countering jihadists in the Horn of Africa; weeks later, the Somali Ministry of Defense said it completed these technical discussions and "looks forward to [Egypt's] contribution alongside other troop-partner nations." The same month, Egyptian and Qatari negotiators brokered the phased Hamas-Israel ceasefire that took effect on Jan. 19. Egypt also established a command center in Cairo to implement the agreement, which largely held until widespread Israeli attacks on the...
