President Barack Obama will meet with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah on Friday amid mounting reports of acute Saudi disillusionment with Obama’s foreign policy. The Saudis, like other Middle Eastern allies including Israel, are concerned that Obama cannot be trusted to safeguard their national interests in the face of Iran’s military buildup, the political turbulence of the…
Earlier this month the Obama administration announced it was cutting military aid to Egypt by hundreds of millions of dollars. The move had nothing to do with the budget battle in D.C. Rather, it was a belated reaction to last July’s military coup against President Mohamed Morsi’s increasingly autocratic Islamist government. Unfortunately, the administration has taken…
Can America’s “principles” contradict its national interests? The question arises in light of the Obama administration’s invocation of the principle of democracy to justify its decision to suspend military aid to Egypt. As Voice of America correspondent Scott Stearns reported, “A senior U.S. official says suspending these programs may not lead directly to greater…
Senior Fellow Peter Brookes discusses the latest on whether Congress will back up President Obama's call for action in Syria on Fox News' 'America's News HQ'.…
Egypt’s July 3 coup and the crackdown on President Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood have sparked renewed calls from Congress for a cutoff of U.S. foreign aid to the new Egyptian government. While there are strong arguments in favor of continuing aid, the Obama Administration cannot continue to deny that what happened in Egypt was indeed a coup, which legally requires a…
Senior Fellow Peter Brookes discussed the latest on Egypt and Syria on NBC News affiliates.…
The ongoing political crisis in Egypt has an economic foundation. For the past 18 years, the Egyptian economy has been “mostly unfree”—and among the least free in the Middle East and North Africa—in The Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom. Lingering socialist economic policies adopted decades ago have discouraged investment, entrepreneurship, and job growth.…
Egypt’s army recently ousted President Mohamed Morsi, just as it removed Hosni Mubarak in 2011, to prevent growing civil disorder from undermining the power of the state and its own privileges within the state. The intervention was widely applauded by opposition political parties and the overwhelming majority of the millions of protesters who demanded that Morsi step…
Egyptian opposition groups have called for massive demonstrations on June 30 to protest the first anniversary of President Mohamed Morsi’s inauguration. Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood–dominated government has grown increasingly unpopular due to its authoritarian nature; growing curbs on political, social, and religious freedoms; and failure to effectively address Egypt’s…
Senior Research Fellow Jim Phillips discusses Syrian-Egyptian relations on Fox News' 'Special Report'.…
Abstract: The Egyptian government has played a major role in creating and maintaining a religiously intolerant environment in Egypt that is hostile to non-Muslims and any Muslims who deviate from government-endorsed religious norms and traditions. This intolerant environment that stifles independent thinking and religious liberty is the natural breeding ground for…
Egypt’s transitional military regime threw down a direct challenge to the Obama Administration on Monday when government prosecutors announced that 43 people, including 19 Americans, will stand trial for allegedly interfering in Egypt’s internal politics. Egyptian officials claim that they illegally funded political groups in Egypt’s parliamentary elections, while the…
Rocked by escalating protests, on Friday embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced he would appoint a new government. Mubarak’s eleventh-hour attempt to embrace reform is unlikely to appease the growing opposition, which includes a broad spectrum of diverse political groups. Egypt, an important American ally, is likely to plunge into much deeper political…
The “Arab Spring” has targeted several regimes in the Middle East: Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak has stepped down, leaving the future of the country uncertain; Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh cling to power; Libya’s Muammar Qadhafi has vowed to fight to the death despite the United States and NATO lining up against him. The U.S. needs more clear and…
While all eyes are on the political violence in Egypt, the Obama Administration has labored in crisis mode, struggling to stay ahead of the rapidly moving events. Washington’s problem is that publicly the White House appears to be floundering, focusing myopically on events on Tahrir Square rather than exercising real presidential leadership and proactively working to…
The Obama Administration is finalizing an aid package to Egypt that includes forgiving approximately $1 billion of Egypt’s debt to the United States. This is in addition to about $1.5 billion in annual U.S. foreign aid. However, the lax reaction of Egypt’s new Islamist government to the violent demonstrations at the U.S. embassy in Cairo has raised questions about the…
Abstract: In 2011 and 2012, a wave of popular uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East shook the region’s autocratic regimes, prompting euphoric reactions in the West about an “Arab Spring” and a supposed new age of democracy. While the overthrow of authoritarian regimes can give democracy a chance to bloom, it has also created opportunities for a wide spectrum of…
In recent months, Egyptian–American relations have severely deteriorated due to Cairo’s politically motivated prosecution of several U.S.-funded nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) involved in democracy building. The fact that these civil society efforts, which were tolerated in Egypt before the fall of President Hosni Mubarak last year, now are considered criminal…
Last week, Egyptian courts sentenced 43 staff members of pro-democracy non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including 16 Americans, to prison terms of up to five years for their activities to support civil society and democracy after Egypt’s 2011 revolution. The trial and harsh sentences underscore the fact that Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood–dominated government is…
Although the current Gaza crisis is in many ways reminiscent of the last flare-up in December 2008–January 2009, there are important differences this time around. Hamas’s terrorist reach now includes Israel’s heartland cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv due to long-range Iranian rockets. However, Israel’s new Iron Dome missile defense system has mitigated this threat. The…
Egypt is preparing a military offensive against Islamist militants in the Sinai who have launched a series of terrorist attacks against Egyptian border guards in an effort to weaken the central government and provoke a war with Israel. This campaign is expected to include armored forces and air strikes in the first major Egyptian military action in the demilitarized Sinai…
Last week, Iran was once again caught red-handed shipping arms, including advanced rockets, to Gaza-based Palestinian...…
In 1971, “George Harrison and Friends” took the stage at Madison Square Garden to raise funds for Bangladesh — a new...…
Saudi Arabia and Israel, two key U.S. allies, have publicly challenged the Obama Administration’s Middle East policies...…
This week’s cuts to military aid to Egypt have had negative consequences for U.S.–Egypt relations. Egyptian Foreign...…
U.S. policy on Egypt has drifted in recent months due to a lack of high-level attention, as the Obama Administration...…
Egyptian authorities announced this weekend that a container ship passing through the Suez Canal was attacked by...…
The Obama Administration’s influence in Egypt has evaporated as Egypt’s “Arab Spring” hopes for a democratic...…
Tunisia is currently suffering from poor security, a bad economy, and a polarized society. The situation is starting...…
Egypt’s former President Mohamed Morsi no longer controls the purse strings or answers the direct line in the...…
The foundation for democratic governance is slowly, but steadily, starting to form in Egypt. The interim government...…
Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs