Egypt and the US: Maintaining strategic ties - Egypt - Al-Ahram Weekly

Al-Ahram Weekly

04-02-2025

Officials in Egypt and the US have confirmed their keenness to keep strategic relations between the two countries intact, reports Gamal Essam El-Din
President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and his US counterpart Donald Trump spoke over the phone on Saturday to discuss the complex issues and crises that the Middle East region is going through.
Al-Sisi extended an invitation to Trump to visit Egypt to strengthen strategic relations between the two countries, which have spanned more than four decades, and to work to raise the level of bilateral relations in all political, military, economic, and development fields in a way that achieves common Egyptian-US interests.
Two phone calls also took place between Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week, during which the two officials discussed the close strategic partnership between Cairo and Washington and the common desire to advance bilateral cooperation in various fields in a way that contributes to consolidating the partnership and enhancing efforts aimed at confronting various regional challenges.
Hassan Salama, a professor of political science, said it was important for officials in Egypt and the US to continue the coordination between the two countries in the light of the crises the region is passing through.
'The call between Al-Sisi and Trump reflects the depth of the strategic relations between Egypt and the US as they share common interests on many issues, in addition to exchanging views on political issues, especially as Egypt is a country that has a massive influence in the region,' Salama said.
Salama agreed that US assistance to Egypt has played a central role in Egypt's economic and military development and in furthering the US-Egypt strategic partnership and regional stability. Since 1978, the US has provided Egypt with over $50 billion in military aid and $30 billion in economic assistance, according to a study conducted by the Egyptian Centre for Strategic Studies (ECSS), a think tank.
However, Salama believes that it would be wrong to portray the strategic relations between the two countries as only dependent on military and economic assistance provided by the US to Egypt, or that there would not be strategic relations if the US decided to cancel its assistance or withhold it.
'The two countries have continued to maintain strategic relations despite the fact that since 2011 several US administrations have decided to decrease the economic assistance and withhold large sums of the military aid,' Salama said.
In 1978, US aid constituted approximately 6.4 per cent of Egypt's GDP, but today it is less than half a per cent, said the ECSS study. The US military aid currently stands at $1.3 billion, while economic assistance does not exceed $129 million.
Egypt has also moved to diversify its armament sources since former US president Barack Obama froze military aid to Egypt in 2013 after the ouster of late president Mohamed Morsi. Egypt's arms imports from Russia, France, Germany, and Italy have surged, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
A study by the ECSS confirmed that Egypt and the US have close and stable relations that have not been affected by the change in US administrations and are based on a strong strategic partnership to achieve common goals and interests.
'The US is the world's only superpower and has a leading role in all global and regional issues, while Egypt has a pivotal role in the Middle East, Africa, and the Islamic world. As a result, the Egypt-US strategic partnership is critical not only to the stability of the Middle East and North Africa, but also as a bulwark against global terrorism and violent extremism,' said the study.
Egypt and the US inaugurated a strategic dialogue in 2015. The two countries said persistent challenges in the Middle East required continuing and strengthening cooperation between them. Egypt has long been among the most reliable and influential allies of the US in the region, and Egypt's regional leadership, skilled and educated population, and geo-strategic location render it an invaluable partner in advancing a broad range of mutual interests.
The ECSS study said Egypt and the US decided to establish strategic relations for different reasons. The US believes that Egypt is pursuing an active foreign policy that has made it an influential player on the Arab, Mediterranean, and African levels that cannot be ignored.
This includes in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in Egypt's role in mediating a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, and in Egypt's influence in Libya, Sudan, and the Arab Gulf countries, said the study.
It said that Egypt's position as the Arab world's major military power is another reason that has made its relations with the US strategic.
'There is no question that part of the strategic partnership between the two countries lies in the military field,' said the study, adding that Egyptian-US military cooperation is essential to maintaining the regional balance and a prerequisite for stability in the region.
It had been helped, said the study, by Egypt's accession in April 2021 to the Combined Maritime Forces of the US Naval Command, a 34-nation naval partnership to combat terrorism, prevent piracy, and encourage regional cooperation.
On 24 January, Rubio announced a freeze on US aid funding, with the exception of military aid to Egypt and Israel. 'This decision concerning Egypt is linked to its strategic partnership with the US, in recognition of its influential role in the region and its peace treaty with Israel,' said Salama.
The two countries also have a shared interest in combating terrorism. According to the ECSS study, the US views Egypt's stability as key to regional stability, and it is keen to maintain a security partnership with it to strengthen the Egyptian Armed Forces and their ability to combat terrorism.
'To this end, Washington has provided Cairo with attack helicopters to assist in fighting terrorism in North Sinai as well as conducting joint military exercises with the Egyptian army,' said the study.
Egypt has helped successive US governments to penetrate terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) by relying on well-trained intelligence agents. Michael Erik Kurilla, the commander of US Central Command, visited Cairo last year to strengthen counterterrorism relations between Egypt and the US.
The US keenness to preserve the 1979 Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel as a cornerstone of stability in the region is another reason that has made relations between the two countries strategic, said the study.
The Suez Canal is also a major axis of US interests in Egypt. Washington needs to ensure that the Suez Canal remains open, both as a space for US aircraft and as a waterway for giant ships.
'This requires ensuring the security of the canal and maintaining strategic relations with Cairo,' said the study, adding that 'US ships enjoy preferential treatment in times of emergency in the Suez Canal and are allowed to bypass ships waiting at its entrance.'
* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 February, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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