Egypt’s diaspora policy in the post-June 2013 era as a transnational mechanism of regime legitimation

This article seeks to explore the question of why and how autocrats update their diaspora policy. Building on scholarship that deals with states’ motivations to engage with ‘their’ diasporas, alongside scholarship that has focused on authoritarian regimes’ durability, the article demonstrates how a regime’s legitimation process takes place in the transnational sphere and illuminates how authoritarian consolidation strategies maintain a constant interaction with the transnational sphere and are fed by it. Presenting an extended case study of Egypt’s diaspora policy under ‘Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi, this article demonstrates how the updated policies and discourse, which include positive and negative engagement, are part of regime legitimation strategies and are designed to mobilize support for the post-June 2013 regime and its narrative, both domestically and abroad, and constitute part of the regime’s strategies for consolidating its power.