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Making Choices: The Future of the U.S.-Egyptian Relationship

August 2, 2016

CSIS

The changes of the last five years have shaken the U.S.-Egyptian relationship to its core. For decades, Egypt was a cornerstone of U.S. strategy, and the United States was a cornerstone of Egyptian strategy. However unsatisfying it became for both sides, finding alternatives was unthinkable. It was easier to paper over differences and leave the work of rethinking the relationship for another day. Yet with the changes in Egypt in the last five years, and with the United States thinking anew about its role in the Middle East, that day has come.
 
This report examines the interests that a close bilateral relationship serves and also highlights the consequences of a different kind of U.S.-Egyptian relationship. No policy is without costs or drawbacks, but U.S. policymakers need to understand both the likely results of maintaining close ties with Egypt and the likely results of alternatives.

قد هزّت تغيرات السنوات الخمسة الأخيرة العلاقات الأمريكية المصرية بشكلٍ جوهري. لعقود عديدة شكلت مصر لسبب وجيه حجر الزاوية لاستراتيجية الولايات المتحدة، وكذلك شكلت الولايات المتحدة حجر الزاوية لاستراتيجية مصر. غير أنّه ومع أنّ هذه العلاقات أصبحت غير مرضية للطرفين، إلاّ أنّ إيجاد الحلول البديلة لم يكن أمرًا واردًا. وكان من الأسهل تخبئة الاختلافات وتأجيل جهد إعادة النظر في العلاقة ليوم آخر. إلاّ أنّه ومع التغيرات التي حصلت في مصر في السنوات الخمسة الأخيرة ومع تفكير الولايات المتحدة من جديد في دورها في الشرق الأوسط، فإن ذلك اليوم قد حان.

وفي هذا التقرير تجري مناقشة حول المصالح التي تخدمها العلاقة الثنائية الوثيقة، كما ويجري تسليط الضوء على ما ستكون عواقب نوع مختلف من العلاقات بين الولايات المتحدة ومصر. فما من سياسة إلا ولها ثمن أو سلبيات، غير أنّه على صانعي السياسات الامريكيين أن يفهموا كلا النتائج المحتملة للحفاظ على روابط وثيقة مع مصر والنتائج المحتملة للبدائل عن تلك الروابط.

Photo credit: USAF

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Download PDF file of "Making Choices"
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Written By
Jon B. Alterman
Senior Vice President, Zbigniew Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy, and Director, Middle East Program
Media Queries
Contact H. Andrew Schwartz
Chief Communications Officer
Tel: 202.775.3242

Contact Paige Montfort
Media Relations Coordinator, External Relations
Tel: 202.775.3173
Related
Books and Reports, Defense and Security, Egypt and the Levant, Geopolitics and International Security, Great Powers and Geostrategy, Levant and Egypt, Middle East, Middle East Program, Themes, مطبوعات برنامج الشرق الأوسط بمركز الدراسات الإستراتيجية والدولية باللغة العربية

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