Cairo Policy Center

Cairo Policy Center
Name	Cairo Policy Center
Founded	2012
Founder	Amr Moussa
Headquarters	Cairo
Location	Egypt
Focus	Public policy, international affairs, strategic studies
Director	Ibrahim Elbadawi
Parent organization	AUC

Cairo Policy Center is a think tank based in Cairo, Egypt that conducts research on regional and international affairs, strategic studies, and public policy. It produces analysis aimed at informing decision-makers in the Middle East and beyond, engages with academic institutions such as American University in Cairo, and hosts dialogues involving officials from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United States, European Union member states and regional organizations like the Arab League. The center situates itself within networks that include Brookings Institution, Chatham House, and the Wilson Center.

Overview

The center operates as a policy research institute affiliated with the American University in Cairo and pursues projects that intersect with issues addressed by United Nations agencies, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and regional research hubs such as the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies and Al Jazeera Centre for Studies. Staff and fellows at the center have backgrounds linked to institutions including Harvard Kennedy School, London School of Economics, Georgetown University, Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and think tanks like Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Its public briefings, roundtables and advisory outputs target audiences including representatives from European Parliament, African Union, and national legislatures like the Egyptian Parliament.

History and Development

Founded in 2012 amid the aftermath of the 2011 Egyptian revolution and regional upheavals such as the Syrian civil war and Libyan crisis, the center emerged as part of broader institutional responses to shifting dynamics in the Middle East and North Africa. Early initiatives engaged with topics prominent during the Arab Spring era, collaborating with scholars connected to events like the Tunisian Revolution and policy debates around the Gulf Cooperation Council. Over time, the center expanded partnerships with academic programs at Columbia University, Stanford University, and policy units from governments including France and Germany, while convening dialogues that referenced security challenges tied to groups such as ISIS and diplomatic processes including the Arab-Israeli peace process and Iran nuclear deal negotiations.

Research Areas and Programs

Research portfolios cover counterterrorism and security sector reform linked to operations in Sinai Peninsula and counterinsurgency studies that reference campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. Economic policy work interacts with agendas from International Monetary Fund programs and trade issues involving the European Union–Egypt Association Agreement and regional blocs like the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. Other programs examine energy geopolitics involving actors such as Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and projects like the East Mediterranean Gas Forum. Social and governance projects engage with comparative studies referencing Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, and policy debates influenced by the United Nations Development Programme and World Health Organization frameworks.

Publications and Policy Impact

The center issues policy briefs, working papers, and analyses that have been cited by media outlets like Al Jazeera, The New York Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, and regional outlets including Al-Ahram and Asharq Al-Awsat. Research outputs have informed discussions at forums such as the United Nations General Assembly side events, technical workshops convened by the African Development Bank, and consultations with ministries including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Egypt). The center's work has been discussed in academic journals affiliated with publishers like Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press and referenced in reports by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International that examine regional governance and human rights dilemmas.

Partnerships and Funding

Collaborative relationships include exchanges and joint projects with institutions such as Brookings Institution, Chatham House, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and academic departments at AUB and King's College London. Funding sources have encompassed grants and project support from multilateral organizations like the European Union Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, bilateral donors such as United Kingdom development agencies, philanthropic foundations like the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation, and corporate partners engaged in sectors highlighted by the center's energy and economic programming.

Events and Public Engagement

The center organizes conferences, speaker series, and public forums that bring together ministers from Egypt, ambassadors from the United States, delegations from France and Germany, scholars from Princeton University and Oxford University, and representatives of international organizations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the World Bank Group. Events have covered topics ranging from peacemaking processes related to the Israel–Palestine conflict to regional trade arrangements discussed at gatherings with delegates from the Gulf Cooperation Council and the African Union. Educational outreach includes fellowship schemes modeled after programs at Harvard University and training modules similar to those run by NATO's defense capacity-building initiatives.

Category:Think tanks in Egypt