How Egypt's protesters will change US ties

P F Tinmore

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Dec 6, 2009
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Cairo – Egypt’s popular uprising toppled the leader of the nation that is a cornerstone to US policy in the Middle East, raising concerns that America could lose its leverage with a key ally. The strength of protests in Tahrir Square today, nearly six weeks after the revolution began, demonstrates that popular pressure is likely to play a key role in shaping the post-Mubarak era.

But while the new Egypt is likely to emerge as more independent and willing to diverge from US wishes in certain areas, it will simultaneously seek to maintain good ties with its American ally, say analysts. Charting a more independent course could help Egypt regain some of the regional clout it has lost over the past decades as it stagnated partly as a result of its support for US policies.

A new Egyptian government would likely respond to popular pressure by taking what the population might see as a more even-handed approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and warming up ties with all Palestinian factions, says Mustapha Kamel al-Sayyid, a political science professor at the American University in Cairo. The Mubarak government, which mediated reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas, was widely seen as favoring the secular Fatah faction over its Islamist rivals.

“Any democratically elected government will not be favorable to Israel,” acknowledges Hamid. “Does that mean Camp David is going to be under threat? No. No one is talking about that right now, not even the Muslim Brotherhood.”

How Egypt's protesters will change US ties - Yahoo! News
 

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