On 2 August, Egypt and the US started a round of “strategic dialogue” in an attempt to reinforce their cooperation and iron out their differences. The talks were led by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and US Secretary of State John Kerry. It cannot be said that these talks succeeded in restoring complete warmth to bilateral ties, but perhaps this wasn't the point to start with. There comes a moment in relations between a superpower and a regional powerhouse when seeing eye to eye matters less than working hand in hand. Cairo and Washington have many interests in common, and differences on regional and domestic issues cannot be allowed to come in the way of cooperation. What Shoukry and Kerry have in mind is to avoid unnecessary frictions while keeping the focus on common strategic interests. Since the removal of Mohamed Morsi from power, relations have cooled between Cairo and Washington. The Obama administration expressed its displeasure with Morsi's ouster by cutting off or delaying parts of its economic and military aid to Egypt, claiming that Cairo had flouted democratic norms and the standards of human rights. Washington made it clear that it wishes for the Muslim Brotherhood's reintegration into Egypt's political system, a wish that Cairo couldn't accommodate. And Cairo wanted the US to stop backing the Muslim Brotherhood, but Washington didn't see it fit to do so. In fact, despite Egypt's protests, Washington continued to support the Brotherhood and host its members. Cairo, for its part, let the Americans know that what happened in June-July 2013 was a popular uprising backed by the army, and that the country is still determined to pursue the roadmap to democracy. Over the past two years, Egypt wrote a constitution and had presidential elections, and will have parliamentary elections before the end of this year. Egypt has also classified the Muslim Brotherhood as a terror group. And it voiced indignation over US support for a group whose members are clearly implicated in ongoing acts of violence in the country. These are the differences Cairo and Washington have, and it is clear that top diplomats in both countries are willing to go beyond these differences to find a common ground for strategic cooperation. Speaking at the opening session of the strategic dialogue, Kerry laid down the foundation for further cooperation. “The friendship between our countries is not based on some kind of perfect agreement. It's based on intense awareness of our shared interests in areas such as regional stability and counterterrorism,” the US secretary of state said. When it comes to Egypt, the US has much at stake: including the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty, navigation through the Suez Canal, the fight on terror and regional stability. These are all long-term objectives, and US diplomats are not going to sacrifice them over temporary disagreements, even disagreements they may feel strongly about. So Washington is striking a balance between its strategic interests and its views on democracy, political reform and human rights. It wants to know that Egypt will be a force for stability in the region while pursuing a political course that doesn't veer far from US standards for democracy and human rights. As a gesture of good faith, the US administration has released much of the economic and military assistance that it withheld two years ago, including ten Apache helicopters, eight F-15 planes, and spare parts for M1 Abrams tanks. Washington is also in constant touch with Egypt regarding regional issues and the fight against Islamic State (IS) terror in Iraq and Syria. Bilateral ties improved after a meeting between President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of UN meetings in September 2014. As with any superpower, the US is pragmatic at heart, and it knows how to blend realism with idealism in its foreign policy. The US is also aware that Egypt has left its options open, buying weapons from Russia and France, and acting independently in Libya and Yemen. During the recent talks, Kerry underlined the need to cement cooperation with Egypt in the political, military and economic fields. Views of the two countries seem to converge on IS, Libya and Yemen. Also, US officials seem interested in reviving the Middle East peace process, so as to help defuse tensions in the region. The US hasn't changed its position on the Muslim Brotherhood, which it still hopes Cairo will reintegrate into local politics. But this is no longer an impediment to strategic cooperation. In terms of economic cooperation, the Americans talked in general terms, without getting into details about specific projects or investment opportunities. Washington also wanted Egypt to know that its deal with Iran is not going to interfere with its traditional alliances in the region. In other words, US-Iranian rapprochement is not going to upset the interests of Arab and Gulf countries or favour Iranian expansion in the region. Cairo, for its part, wants Washington to stop placing conditions on economic and military assistance, and tone down its support to the Muslim Brotherhood. And it wants the US administration to promote a two-state solution in Palestine and to take a more forceful role in the fight against IS. Egypt is not what it was before the 2011 and 2013 revolutions. It has rid itself of two regimes and learned a lot in the process. And the primary thing that it learned is that it has to keep its options open. Washington is a strategic friend, but it is not the only strategic friend Egypt has. The writer is a political analyst.
