Since 2014 when Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, won elections in Egypt, human rights have been undermined beneath his government, Egypt has fallen into the most oppressive Sisi’ regime yet, who has tossed journalists into the jail, has executed civilians through military courts. Moreover, in economic issues Sisi has increased prices of the food and gas to insane and unsustainable rates, therefore Egypt’s’ people has fall into severe poverty. Several protests came about the country that Sisi’ government has curbed with violence against the protesters shooting rubber bullets and tear gas in an attempt to quell the protesters, even arresting bunch of them including children. Furthermore, Government officials went into protesters’ private information such as phones and social media searching for anything it could use as evidence against them, rights groups have disowned Government’s behavior called these actions as unconstitutional.
Egypt current relationship with the United States is based first at all in economic interest; Egypt’s geographical positioning gives a unique influence in the region, inviting more than $40 billion in military and $30 billion in economic assistance from the US since 1980, Egypt’s transportation routes are beneficial for the US, with two-way trade between the two countries totaling $7.5 billion in 2018. On the other hand, these countries have common interests in limiting Iran’s influence in the Middle East as well as curtailing the spread of radical movements in volatile states like Iraq and Syria. Besides, in the same way The U.S. support to Egypt is addressing to foreign policy objectives of counteracting terrorism.
Relationship between The U.S. and Egypt has been bringing huge benefits for both countries, the Egyptian military is heavily dependent on weapons and contractors from the United States. Washington could use this to leverage pressure against Cairo on its human rights record. “If the US continues to permit a cruel dictator to tyrannize his citizens under an oppressive regime, it is sending a strong message to other nations both in the region and the world that attempts to undermine and subvert democratic principles may be ignored for economic and political control.” Definitively Sisi’s dictator ship is not a good example to leading any country and The U.S. shouldn’t support this kind of governments based in economic and political affairs.
https://www.fairobserver.com/region/middle_east_north_africa/hannah-zhou-us-egypt-relations-human-rights-abdel-fattah-el-sisi-donald-trump-news. By Hannah Zhou • Oct 07, 2020
Kevinn,
With everything else that’s going on in the Middle East, Sisi’s repression in Egypt is often overlooked. Also, as you indicate, the US gains benefits from having Egypt as an ally, and it wants to make sure that relations stay friendly between Egypt and Israel and that Egypt remains part of the anti-Iran coalition. So, we have looked the other way when Sisi has cracked down on his own people.
In the case of Egypt, in particular, we have “seen this movie before,” as the saying goes. It would seem likely that, eventually, the Egyptian people will rise up again and overthrow him, just as they did his predecessor. –Professor Wallerstein