Authoritarian Egypt excites business as Sisi makes trains run on time

The excitement surrounding the range of investments and projects being promoted by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s government is as tangible as it is predictable. An Arab military strongman of the sort many thought could not be remodelled following the 2011 ‘Arab Spring’ – whose centrepiece Egyptian revolution removed veteran president Hosni Mubarak – Sisi has brought perceived ‘stability’ to the chaotic Egyptian market. This has encouraged huge financial commitments from his backers in the Gulf states and empowered technocrat officials to dust off any number of mothballed projects.