Abstracts Political Science

Protecting the Nile : Egypt’s crisis exploitation of the GERD crisis (2011-2021)

by Elisa Andrea Viteri Marquez

This thesis analyses the framing and exploitation of the ‘water security’ crisis triggered in Egypt by the construction the Gran Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) during the period of its construction (2011-2021). Through the analysis of members of the executive statements, policy documents, and actions on the ground, this study contributes to crisis exploitation theory by pointing at other categories that had allowed for policy change, such as funding and the influence of international organizations. This study shows that policy change allowed President al-Sisi to appear as the protector of the Nile, while Egypt came to position itself as an African leader in water management and environmental governance.