This edition marks ten years of the Cairo Review of Global Affairs. The very first issue, published in the Spring of 2011 under the title Arab Revolution, included articles by leading scholars, academics, and public intellectuals who offered perspectives on the seismic changes happening in the region at the time. In the editorial of the first issue of the Cairo Review, Dean Nabil Fahmy wrote that this journal is “intended to be an outlet for people in the Middle East who follow global affairs. We also want it to be a platform that gives perspectives from the region a greater voice in international policy conversations and debates”. Since that first edition, the Cairo Review has adapted to a rapidly changing environment and has lived up to its promise of writing the voices of the region into a global conversation. It tackled key international and regional issues— from urban development, science and innovation policy, mobility of art and the future of news, to an analysis of shifting dynamics on the global stage around Iran, Turkey, China, and the United States.

The Cairo Review is the flagship publication of AUC’s School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (GAPP). Founded in 2009, GAPP has established itself as a regional leader in preparing the next generation of civil servants, policy leaders, and development professionals to take on the challenges of the Arab World and Africa. Through regular degree programs and tailored executive education offerings, GAPP plays a critical role in upskilling public sector employees in Egypt and the region. A relatively young school at the university, GAPP has quickly distinguished itself as one of the most visible examples of the role AUC can and should play in supporting the advancement of Egypt and the region.

In the Cairo Review’s inaugural issue, Lisa Anderson, AUC’s president at the time who as provost oversaw the creation of GAPP, is quoted as saying that “East and West is a 20^th century way of looking at the world. Now we need to be thinking about what’s going to happen in the next 25 years on a global level, and about what role Egypt and the region will play there.”

In many ways, that is as true today, if not more so, than it was back then. It is gratifying to see Professor Anderson among the distinguished contributors to this issue, titled The Middle East: After a Turbulent Decade…What Next? Many of the themes explored in this issue are not new to the discourse about the region, and yet there are clear shifts and open questions about the future. The prominence and diversity of the voices represented in this issue—Nathan Brown, Thomas L. Crisman, David Dumke, Zachary S. Winters, Robert Mogielnicki, Paul Salem, Joost Hiltermann, Ibrahim Awad, Khaled Elgindy, Lorenzeo Kamel, Hesham Youssef, and Muhamed Almaliky—is a testament to the essential role the Cairo Review plays as a conveyer and forum for ideas.

The 10th anniversary issue of the Cairo Review returns to the themes covered in the inaugural issue, and examines the evolution of these issues over the last decade: the current outcomes of the Arab uprisings; the changing politics of religiosity; the deepening fissures within Arab polities and societies; the need for a new regional order; the scenarios for managing multiple regional conflicts; the prospects for post-oil economies; the possibilities of mitigating climate change impact on water availability, salt water intrusion and desertification; the potentials for future regional cooperation within the water and renewable energy sectors; the question of Palestinian statehood and the status of the two-state solution. These and more remain relevant topics that demand our focused attention. Our world is far from idyllic: wars and conflicts abound; global inequalities continue to shape the international order; and humanity’s relationship with nature continues to undermine the sustainable future of all humans. So, we must continue to ask the hard questions about our changing world, and strive to bridge the divide between academic knowledge and policy.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us firsthand, the challenges and opportunities of the future will necessarily require a global outlook and a way of thinking about politics beyond borders. Indeed, interconnection is a defining feature of our time. A more inclusive and equitable vision is the only way to effectively confront the growing list of issues such as pandemics, climate change, forced migration and refugees, supply chain disruptions, economic downturns, and food and water shortages.

The interconnectedness of our world and the need to engage globally on the issues of our time make the role of institutions like AUC all the more profound. We are a unique space—both physically and through publications like the Cairo Review— where ideas can meet, collide, and compete, and where new and innovative solutions can be found. We draw on a deep academic tradition of knowledge creation and the youthful energy of the next generation of problem solvers on our campus. We are enriched by our location in Egypt, the nexus of both the Middle East and Africa, and the primary interlocutor from the region with the world. Accounting for more than a quarter of the region’s population and centuries of history, civilization, culture, and knowledge, Egypt, and in turn Cairo, is the ideal venue for addressing global topics in ways that are regionally and locally relevant. Egypt’s regional vantage point shapes the way we identify the problems of world politics, and the voice from Egypt increases the opportunity of making this conversation truly global. Situated in Egypt, the gateway to the Middle East and Africa, AUC is keenly aware of both its responsibility and opportunity to contribute to the convening space, people, and ideas that shape the future.

Ahmad Dallal

President, American University in Cairo