Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi is the president of Egypt, a former general who seized power in a coup in 2013. He enjoyed a warm relationship with Donald Trump during Mr Trump's first term, sharing pride of place with Saudi Arabia's king at a counter-terrorism summit in Riyadh.
Mr al-Sisi has described the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile as "a matter of life and death" for Egypt, which depends on the Nile for most of its water supply. After negotiations with Ethiopia broke down, Egypt reportedly began arming the Fano, an Ethiopian rebel movement, and strengthened ties with Eritrea.
His economic mismanagement—unsustainable public debts of around 90% of GDP, spent on vanity projects—has left Egypt reliant on bail-outs and increasingly sidelined. Gulf rulers no longer regard him as a significant partner in shaping the Middle East.
I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it.