All Policy Analysis by David Schenker

U.S. policy toward the Asad regime could be affected by the recent indictment of a Syrian American for spying on U.S.-based opposition figures, especially if both governments respond with diplomatic expulsions.

On October 3, 2011, Abdel Monem Said Aly, David Schenker, and Nabeel Khoury addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Dr. Aly is president of the al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo and a Senior Fellow at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis

Progress on the economic and political fronts is helping to insulate the monarchy from the instability currently sweeping the region.

It is important -- for both the future of the bilateral relationship and the economic and political success of Egypt -- that the legal process surrounding Mubarak's trial is transparent, credible, and not driven by mob justice.

Given Egypt's fluid post-revolutionary environment, Washington must be judicious as to when and how it attempts to exert influence on the domestic political scene.

Despite devoting more than thirty years and $50 billion to secure the peace, Washington now finds itself with precious little influence in Egypt.

There are plenty of policies that the United States could pursue, short of dropping bombs on Damascus, to hasten the Asad regime's fall.

Washington has several policy options short of military action to torque the pressure on the Syrian regime and to help the Syrians themselves topple the dictatorship.