If Israel wins, it will likely move ahead with implementing its plan to push Palestinians out of Gaza, which could lead to a war with Egypt. If Iran wins, its proxies could further divide the region.
After dramatic action from the central bank, an $8bn IMF loan and a $35bn development deal, Cairo aims to bounce back in the new year, but faces both familiar and new problems first
There are positives within the latest review of Cairo's progress toward a further $1.3bn financial lifeline, but they come amid deepening economic problems at home, where the cost of living is rising
Cairo wants to regenerate its shipbuilding capabilities to boost its maritime fleet, but experts say this is a long-term plan requiring lots of investment. Can Egypt hope to compete?
Many regional and international stakeholders believe that the cost of rescuing Egypt's economy pales in comparison to the steep price everyone might pay if it were to descend into chaos
A bigger IMF loan agreement and more support from the EU is expected as Cairo gets help from its allies to offset the impact of the Gaza war, amid hope among experts for fewer conditions
El-Sisi faces a number of challenges on the road. These include the current war in Gaza, threats to Egypt's share in the water of the Nile River, rising inflation and high birth rates.
Economic reform is key to the future of a region which needs to diversify away from dependency on oil, or a reliance on international funding. There has been both resistance and progress so far.
Egypt, the world's second-largest IMF borrower, has managed to reach several agreements, yet failed to achieve reform goals in the process. Now, Egyptians are bearing the brunt.
Beijing would like the week to mark a historic turning point in which a unipolar world finally gave way to multipolarity. To others, it was just tub-thumping bravura. In reality, it was a bit of both.
The country now sits at an energy crossroads: will its recovery be anchored in oil and gas, or will it seize the chance to lean into renewables and build something more resilient?
After Israel dealt Iran and its regional axis a string of crippling blows last year, Lebanon now finds itself better-positioned to reclaim its eroded state sovereignty. Will it grab the chance?
Recent books from Yemen, Egypt, and Syria take a new look at the 10th-century philosopher's famed letter 'The Epistle of Forgiveness', which is said to have inspired Dante's 'Divine Comedy'
An earthquake in Afghanistan earlier this week levelled entire villages and left people trapped under rubble for days, but in the shadow of the Hindu Kush, saviours were thin on the ground