Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has had a few good months. The Turkish government has been bending over backward to improve bilateral ties that have been badly strained since Egypt’s July 2013 coup. Egypt’s diplomats have been involved in brokering agreements with Jordan and Iraq aimed at broadening and deepening cooperation. And most recently, Sisi played an important role in securing the May 21 cease-fire that brought the latest round of violence between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip to an end. Egypt’s constructive role during the conflict earned former U.S. President Donald Trump’s “favorite dictator” not one but two phone calls from U.S. President Joe Biden.
The telephone conversations between the leaders were instructive. Biden had been freezing out his Egyptian counterpart because of the profound repression that has gripped the country since Sisi came to power. The decision not to reward the Egyptian leader with a phone call earlier was part and parcel of the Biden administration’s emphasis on American foreign-policy values.
But when push came to shove, security and stability won the day. That’s a win for Egypt, where leaders and diplomats seem pleased the recent war in Gaza has proven what they have been saying all along: Egypt is central to regional stability, and, as such, it remains a critical partner for the United States. The Egyptians have just been waiting for the Americans to realize this fact…again. Fair enough. But history also suggests it’s only a matter of time until the United States starts questioning Egypt’s value as an ally again.
