The US Council on Foreign Relations thinks Egypt’s new political leaders will take the country down a path that leads away from US interests
Almost a year has passed since protestors in Cairo’s Tahrir Square rallied to overthrow former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. Yet, the Egyptian public remains loathe to articulate a coherent vision for Egypt, according to a leading US think tank.
This situation is creating “challenges going forward,” according to the Council on Foreign Relation’s Egypt expert Steven Cook.
The next crucial step will be choosing a hundred-person group to write a new constitution, he said in a recent interview. “The challenge in the constitution-writing period is divining a vision for Egypt that the vast majority of Egyptians agree upon,” Cook said.
There’s going to be a divergence between Egypt and the United States over time
“There’s going to be a divergence between Egypt and the United States over time,” predicts Cook, because none of the leading parties have historically held worldviews that conform to US interests in the region. In this uncertain period, US policymakers are struggling to find a strategy that adjusts to this new era.
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