Cybersecurity is a complex and contested issue in international politics. By focusing on the great powersthe US the EU Russia and Chinastudies in the field often fail to capture the specific politics of cybersecurity in the Middle East especially in Egypt and the GCC states. For these countries cybersecurity policies and practices are entangled with those of longstanding allies in the US and Europe and are built on reciprocal flows of data capital technology and expertise. At the same time