Egypt

Policy Analysis on Egypt

Winter or Spring: Islamists, the Military, and Post-Revolution Politics in Egypt

The following is an excerpt from an article that appeared in Middle East Insights (vol. 3, no. 3). To read the full article, download the PDF. The so-called "Arab Spring" has forever changed the face of the Middle East, and it's not finished. While the revolts that toppled longtime autocrats

May 11, 2012

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David Schenker

Video

Brief Analysis

Egypt in Transition: What Happened to the Liberal Youths of Tahrir Square?

On May 9, Mahmoud Salem addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Mr. Salem, a renowned Egyptian blogger better known as "Sandmonkey," is a longtime analyst of Egyptian political affairs and advocate for free speech and democracy. He ran as a parliamentary candidate last year on the ticket of the Free Egyptians Party. The following is a rapporteur's summary of his remarks.

May 9, 2012

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Mahmoud Salem

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In-Depth Reports

Remarks by Denis McDonough, Deputy National Security Advisor

Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough believes that the relationship between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is “workmanlike” and enables the two leaders to immediately address the important issues on their agendas. Speaking to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Weinberg Founders Conference, McDonough stated that

May 7, 2012

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Denis McDonough

Articles & Testimony

The American Media Gets an Egyptian Presidential Candidate All Wrong

Egyptian presidential candidate Abdel Monem Abouel Fotouh was a leading force in the militant Islamist student movements of the 1970s; one of the Muslim Brotherhood’s point men for aiding the mujahideen in Afghanistan during the 1980s; and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Guidance Office for twenty-two years. It should

May 3, 2012

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Eric Trager

Video

In-Depth Reports

2012 Weinberg Founders Conference

Navigating the New 'New Middle East': Challenges for U.S. Policy

From May 4, through Sunday noon, May 6, The Washington Institute explored the full range of Middle East policy challenges at the 2012 Weinberg Founders Conference, which brought together policymakers, diplomats, journalists, experts, and private citizens for a lively weekend of discussion and debate. Watch plenary sessions of the conference

May 2, 2012

Articles & Testimony

Meet the Islamist Political Fixer Who Could Be Egypt's Next President

When Egypt's Presidential Elections Commission disqualified Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Khairat al-Shater from the upcoming elections last week, the Brotherhood was angered, but not surprised. Egyptian law bans criminal convicts from running for president, and though al-Shater's 2007 conviction for belonging to an "illegal organization" -- namely, the Brotherhood --

Apr 27, 2012

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Eric Trager

Brief Analysis

Implications of Egypt's Gas Cut-Off with Israel

Cairo's otherwise disappointing decision to freeze Israel's gas supplies gives Washington an opportunity to separate its Egypt and Eastern Mediterranean energy policies.

Apr 23, 2012

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Simon Henderson
David Schenker

Articles & Testimony

Arab AKPs in the Making?

Can Turkey's experience in the past decade under the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government -- blending democracy, close ties with the West, a "Muslim" foreign policy, capitalism and Islamism -- be copied by Arabs, as many claim? Probably not -- except for Tunisia. Although rooted in Turkey's Islamist movement

Apr 23, 2012

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David Pollock
Soner Cagaptay

Articles & Testimony

No Brothers in Arms in Egypt

In late May, Egypt will ostensibly hold its first open presidential elections in nearly six decades. But the Muslim Brotherhood suspects treachery. This past Tuesday's disqualification of ten presidential candidates, including Brotherhood leader Khairat al-Shater, has convinced the group that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which has

Apr 20, 2012

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Eric Trager

Articles & Testimony

A Crisis of Confidence

From failing European economies to staggering murder rates in Central America, there's no shortage of crises on the agenda as the International Monetary Fund holds its annual spring meeting in Washington this week. Of all the problems within the IMF's purview, however, the ongoing economic deterioration in Egypt may be

Apr 17, 2012

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David Schenker

Articles & Testimony

The Muslim Brotherhood's Mendacious Charm Campaign in Washington

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a Muslim Brotherhood delegation in Washington last week to better understand how the Islamist group will govern Egypt. It was a noble attempt at promoting intercultural political dialogue -- an engagement for which many in the American policy community, as well as academia

Apr 9, 2012

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Eric Trager

Brief Analysis

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Pursues a Political Monopoly

On Saturday, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB) announced the nomination of Deputy Supreme Guide Khairat al-Shater for president, cementing a critical shift in its political strategy. Although the group initially tried to manage Egypt's post-Mubarak transition by cooperating with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and secularist parties

Apr 4, 2012

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Eric Trager

Brief Analysis

Death of a Pope: The Worsening Position of Egypt's Copts

The death of Pope Shenouda III on March 18 leaves Egypt's Coptic Christian community in a politically uncertain position at a seminal moment. His passing, though long anticipated, could scarcely have come at a worse moment. As Egypt's largely Islamist constitutional assembly meets to draft the state's post-Mubarak charter, the

Apr 3, 2012

Articles & Testimony

Is the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Nominating a Presidential Candidate?

Shortly after mass protests toppled Hosni Mubarak last February, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood sought to assuage fears of an "Islamist takeover" by making two promises to both the international community and to Egyptian secularist parties: that it would run candidates in fewer than 50 percent of the parliamentary races, and that

Mar 29, 2012

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Eric Trager

Articles & Testimony

Caught in Egypt's Political Cross-Fire

The recent ordeal of American democracy workers in Egypt was not so much about them as about Cairo's own internal power struggle.

Mar 14, 2012

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Eric Trager

Articles & Testimony

Is Egypt's Government Malicious or Incompetent?

Whether Egypt's military authorities are deliberately targeting pro-democratic NGOs or simply unable to stop others from doing so, one thing is clear: Washington's relationship with them is no longer worth $1.3 billion.

Feb 20, 2012

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Eric Trager

Articles & Testimony

Egypt's Cold Shoulder

By deciding to prosecute Americans, post-Mubarak Egypt has intentionally provoked a bilateral crisis.

Feb 15, 2012

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David Schenker

Articles & Testimony

Reflections on the Revolution in Egypt

Testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Relations, Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. One year after mass protests toppled Hosni Mubarak, Egypt is heading in an illiberal, anti-Western direction. The ruling military council has employed deadly force against protestors, subjected thousands of civilians to military trials, raided

Feb 14, 2012

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Eric Trager

Articles & Testimony

Arab Spring or Islamist Winter?

The Arab uprisings—the intifadas against tyranny—were and are a remarkable accomplishment for the peoples of the Middle East. But they were only the end of the beginning.

Jan 31, 2012

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David Schenker

Articles & Testimony

George W. Bush, Disliked but Appreciated

Protesters in the Middle East have made clear that they look to the U.S. for inspiration and support, and that they look down on the U.S. when they believe this support is not materializing.

Jan 31, 2012

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Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics

The Washington Institute's Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics focuses on social, political, and economic developments in the Arab world, with an emphasis on the Arab countries of the Levant.

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Robert Satloff

Robert Satloff is the Segal Executive Director of The Washington Institute, a post he assumed in January 1993.

Haisam Hassanein

Haisam Hassanein was an Associate Fellow at The Washington Institute. Previously, he was the Institute's 2016-2017 Glazer Fellow, in which he focused on economic relations between Israel and Arab states. He has published in several media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, the New York Daily News, and the Jerusalem Post. His current research focuses on commercial diplomacy in the Middle East.

Hassanein earned his B.A. in political science from Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania. After completing an internship at the Institute in 2014, he enrolled in an M.A

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