How far is the US exercising pressure on Egypt? No more than usual, writes Ezzat Ibrahim from Washington, despite the presence of a new actor in the scene Following talks between Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheith, Chief of General Intelligence Omar Suleiman and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a couple of weeks ago in Washington it appeared that bilateral relations between Egypt and the US would progress without any exacerbating of differences over the monitoring of next week's parliamentary elections in Egypt. The press conference of the two foreign ministers did not broach on Egypt's internal affairs. Indeed, both ministers highlighted their shared understanding and cooperation on regional issues. It was not long, though, before The Washington Post weighed in, criticising Clinton for not reprimanding the Egyptian officials over the elections. Following the Washington Post 's editorial things were back to square one, as the US administration began criticising the Egyptian government's refusal to invite international observers to monitor the parliamentary elections. "We have made our position clear in terms of the steps that have to occur inside Egypt for us to have confidence in a credible result coming out of the elections at the end of this month. We've called for a robust domestic observation of this election," said Philip J. Crowley, assistant secretary of state. "And in fact, over the years, we have contributed to Egyptian civil society to build up capability for meaningful oversight of Egyptian elections. We believe that Egypt will put itself in the strongest position possible by acceding to international norms and ensuring that there is international representation as well." Following clashes in Alexandria between state security officers and Muslim Brotherhood supporters on Sunday, the US official elaborated further. "We've had direct conversations with Egyptian officials about the importance of the upcoming elections. As we talked about it when Foreign Minister Abul-Gheit was here recently and the issue came up in discussions both with Secretary Clinton and also with Assistant Secretary Jeff Feltman. We have made our views clear to Egypt about the importance of this election, what it will mean to Egypt's position as a leader in the Middle East. It has the opportunity to demonstrate clearly that it is going to expand the available political space for broader participation in its elections in its future, and we continue to encourage Egypt to take advantage of this opportunity." Nothing particularly new there, though this time a novel variable has come onto the stage, a group of influential former officials and researchers from American think-tanks who have formed the "Working Group on Egypt" to promote certain ideas and policies. The group, which emerged about 10 months ago, comprises nearly a dozen American scholars from the right and liberal left. It has pressed the administration of President Barack Obama to play a role in expanding political participation in Egypt, through political pressure and the use of Washington's strategic relationship with Cairo. The group includes the neoconservative intellectual Robert Kagan alongside liberal expert Michele Dunne, editor of the Arab Reform Bulletin at the Carnegie Endowment for Peace. Unusually, the Working Group has moved from brainstorming to actually supporting a draft resolution in the US Senate, ie it has shifted from making policy recommendations to promoting the adoption of specific policies. The group, say Egyptian politicians and analysts, are a throwback to the failed democracy project of former President George W Bush. By extension, the Washington Post 's series of opinion editorials focussing on the need to use America's strategic relationships with Cairo to promote democracy, stop the suppression of freedoms, increase respect for human rights and protect the Christian minority in the country, are equally a throwback to Bush's discredited policy. In an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly Egypt's ambassador to Washington, Sameh Shoukry, described the Working Group as "an association of individuals who should not be allocated any great importance". Shoukry doubts any such grouping will have an impact on bilateral relations. "American decision-makers value the strategic relations between the two countries and its benefits. The United States and people in Congress understand that assistance to Egypt serves US interests." The US State Department's recent annual report on religious freedom in the world seemed to encompass the Working Group's agenda. Yet, says one Egyptian diplomat, "apart from one or two people the group contains no one with sufficient experience to deal with such issues." "The group uses democracy in order to pressure the Obama administration to change its policy toward Egypt." The activities of the Working Group on Egypt cannot be dealt with separately from The Washington Post 's recent editorial series on democracy and human rights in Egypt and the claim that Egypt has turned into a police state. The Egyptian ambassador in Washington sent a letter to the executive manager of the Washington Post to protest about such highly critical articles and editorials in such a short period of time. The group supported a draft resolution on democracy and human rights in Egypt in the US Senate though the resolution was supported by just 14 out of 100 senators. The key sponsor of the resolution, Senator Russ Feingold, who lost his seat in the recent elections, sent a revealing letter to the US president calling for a policy review. "Egypt is an incredibly important country and a vital strategic partner of the United States." he wrote. "Egypt is a leader among Arab states and has played an important role in matters of peace and security in the Middle East, particularly in the area of Arab-Israeli peace. At the same time Egypt continues to be heavily involved in affairs in North and East Africa, not least because of its reliance on water resources from the Nile River. Ongoing negotiations over the Nile Basin Initiative have escalated regional tensions between Egypt and its neighbouring countries at a time when Egypt's own internal dynamics are fluid. Egypt's long history with Sudan, the largest country in Africa, is also of critical importance given south Sudan's upcoming vote on self-determination set for January 2011. Without question, Mr President, successful political reform in Cairo would significantly enhance Egypt's leadership role throughout the Middle East and Africa and could help ensure constructive political engagement in these regions for years to come."
