Obama should listen and Egypt must act to enhance bilateral US-Egypt relations, writes El-Sayed Amin Shalabi* Since Obama took office, hopes for better times spread over the Middle East. Egypt, which often had trouble communicating with the administration of George Bush Jr, is now hoping for improved bilateral ties. At least since the 1970s, three main themes dominated Egyptian-US relations: the peace process, the situation in the Gulf, and financial assistance. These themes may offer us some guidance as to how the future will look. Egyptian-US partnership regarding the peace process started in earnest with Jimmy Carter, who sponsored the Camp David Accords and the subsequent Egyptian- Israeli Peace Treaty. The sense of mutual commitment to peace survived throughout the administration of George Bush Sr and his secretary of state James Baker, culminating in the Madrid Conference for peace in the Middle East in 1991, the international gathering that endorsed the "land-for-peace" formula. The second theme of cooperation was Gulf security. During Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, Egypt was instrumental in forming the international coalition to roll back the invasion. The third theme was US assistance to Egypt which, despite what its detractors may say, has helped rebuild Egypt's infrastructure for the past few decades. During the 1990s, economic assistance began to be phased out. And certain efforts were made through the Mubarak-Gore partnership to create a free trade zone as an option to help the Egyptian economy. But the Clinton and Bush Jr administrations didn't pursue that option in earnest. Cooperation on all three of these issues diminished during the presidency of George Bush Jr. The Palestinian problem, in particular, suffered as a result. The Bush administration started out by blaming the Clinton administration for involving the US too greatly in the Arab-Israeli conflict. US indifference concerning the Palestinian problem continued until the Bush administration finally admitted that something needed to be done. Subsequently, the administration said that it favoured a two-state solution. US rhetoric, however, was not matched by action. On the contrary, the Bush Jr administration undermined the concept of a geographically-connected Palestinian state when, during a visit by Israel's prime minister to the US in July 2004, it said that Israel may hold on to major settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem. And for all the visits by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the region, the Bush administration failed to come up with cohesive policy on the Palestinian issue and largely ignored the question of settlements. It was only recently, and timidly, that Rice admitted during her last visit to the region that the building of settlements was not helping the cause of peace. As for cooperation over Gulf security, this cooperation receded when the Bush administration ignored the warnings and advice of Egypt and invaded Iraq. The invasion, as we know now, sowed only turmoil in the region. It damaged the US's image, increased terror, and turned Iran into a key regional power. Another thing that marred Egyptian relations with the previous US administration was the latter's misguided ideas on democratisation. American arguments were often viewed in Egypt, even by civil society organisations, as interference in Egyptian internal affairs. This brief survey of Egyptian-US relations shows that Egypt cooperated closely with Washington at times when US policies were positive, as in the times of Carter and George Bush Sr. But tensions were unavoidable during the time of Bush Jr. Much now hinges on the US taking a fresh view of the Arab- Israeli conflict, one that casts away the conventional bias towards Israel that has so far undermined the quest for an acceptable solution. Much depends also on what the Obama administration does about extracting itself from the Iraq morass, restoring peace and stability there and the Gulf, and handling the Iranian nuclear issue. This analysis may seem to suggest that responsibility for moving forward on Egyptian-US relations rests solely with the US. Of course, this cannot be true. Egypt, for its part, needs to build its credibility in the region. If anything, this would persuade the Americans that Egypt is a country one should listen to, even when one doesn't totally agree with what it says. Egypt needs also to embrace democracy, revitalise its economy, stamp out corruption, and pursue an enlightened cultural course. Former US ambassador to Egypt Dan Kurtzer recommended in a recent paper that Washington and Cairo should realise the importance of their bilateral relations and listen carefully to what each other has to say. I cannot agree more. * The writer is executive director of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs.
