Egypt

Egypt is once again cracking down on security at the Gaza border (Rafah), after closing it yet again in a move that could well go down badly with the population, which is sympathetic... 2008-08-15

Tensions between Hamas and Fatah are rising again, after a bombing which killed five members of the former, as well as a six-year old girl. Hamas blamed its rival Fatah for the attack,... 2008-07-28

The increasing association of Iran with Hamas puts Egypt in a difficult position vis-à-vis the Islamic Republic's escalating war of words with Israel. Historically, relations with... 2008-07-24

BMI View: The government will remain in power, but will likely use a carrot and stick policy to keep the population on side in these difficult times.

BMI View: Egypt will likely continue to seek to avoid opening the Rafah border crossing for any prolonged period of time, particularly as long as Hamas remains in power. However,... 2008-07-11

BMI View: Egypt faces substantial challenges over the coming decade, but as long as the prevailing economic policies remain broadly in place, the future looks

BMI View: We have revised our real GDP growth forecast down slightly to 5.8% for 2008/09, on the back of higher interest rates and inflation, as well as possible slowdown in investment... 2008-07-07

At the time of going to press, Egypt was planning to open the Rafah border with Gaza for a period of 48 hours for 'humanitarian reasons'. This is a risky policy for the government.... 2008-06-30

BMI View: Although we maintain our growth forecasts for now, the economic outlook continues to deteriorate, and we may have to revisit our projections going forward.

BMI View: The Agrium issue is a key test of the government's priorities, but will have negative implications whatever the outcome. The best news for the business environment would... 2008-06-23