Egyptians bravely overthrew a military-backed dictator, Hosni Mubarak, in 2011. After the army’s subsequent betrayal of the Arab spring revolution and the imprisonment of Mohamed Morsi, the first popularly elected national leader, they were saddled with another one in 2014. To claim Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, a former general, “won” a second presidential term is to demean democracy. Egyptians had no real choice after Sisi ensured all credible challengers were jailed, arrested or pressured to withdraw. Only slightly more than 40% of the 59 million voters actively backed him.

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Egypt has a lot of problems and Sisi is making them worse. Stability is his watchword. But his record of economic mismanagement, unchecked, high-level corruption, IMF-mandated austerity, cuts in food and fuel state subsidies, high youth unemployment and inadequate educational provision is a virtual guarantee of future upheavals. When Sisi’s penchant for mass executions and jailings and his sweeping assaults on civil liberties are added to the mix, little wonder that analysts predict Egypt is heading for another revolution.

Sisi’s “election” was a dangerous sham. His lack of legitimacy helps foster conditions in which jihadist extremism thrives. Egypt already faces a lethal insurgency by the Islamic State-linked Wilayat Sinai group, responsible for the killing last November of 305 people at a Sufi mosque and numerous attacks on Coptic Christians. Sisi’s hardline tactics have done little to curb this menace.

Yet this lamentable record does not deter largely unquestioning support from the US and its allies, including Britain. They are making the same old Mubarak-era mistake. Propping up Arab dictators does not serve western interests. Rather, it perpetuates injustice and instability in the Middle East.