Q&A with Michael Rubin: Sisi’s visit, the Brotherhood, and foreign policy

Egypt Today Managing Editor Mohamed Mahmoud is reporting from Washington as part of an Egyptian press delegation accompanying President Sisi.

WASHINGTON – 1 April 2017: Middle East experts in Washington are closely following events at the White House this week as U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, followed by King of Jordan Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Egypt Today talked to Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official specializing in the Middle East, and current resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, about Sisi’s visit to Washington and the ongoing debate about designating the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization.

Egypt Today: President Sisi’s official visit is the first for an Egyptian president since 2009. What are your thoughts on the visit?
Rubin: There’s been a lot of tension in U.S.-Egyptian relations over the past 15 years. Many in Egypt resented the George W. Bush Administration's emphasis on democratization, believing that the White House did not fully understand the security challenges that a loosening of government control might bring. The Obama administration made matters worse with its legitimization of the Muslim Brotherhood and its naive belief that the Muslim Brotherhood cared about democracy or, indeed, respected Egyptian society as a whole. Against the backdrop of both, Egypt chafed at some of the human rights criticism coming from Washington because it did not fully recognize the security threats Egypt faced. There may still be disagreements, but the Trump-Sisi meeting symbolizes a desire by both governments to repair the relationship. It will take some time, but the commitment is finally there.

Egypt Today: Following more than 13 years of tension between the U.S. and Egypt, what should the two leaders focus on?
Rubin: We have a mutual interest in defeating terrorism in the Sinai. We have a mutual interest in advancing the Israel-Palestine peace process. President Sisi is better positioned than any other leader to advance the process since he has the trust of both the Israeli leadership and the Palestinian leadership. Finally, there is an appreciation in the White House that President Sisi's efforts to spark religious reform are sincere and far more extensive than many Western diplomats realize.

Egypt Today: What areas should witness immediate shifts in U.S. policy in Egypt?
Rubin: The United States must enhance military-to-military relations; the relationships established in the field are longer lasting and do more to help resolve crises than relationships formed over diplomatic cocktail parties. We should also provide to Egypt its needs to secure itself against terrorism. Washington should also come to an agreement with Cairo over what a terror designation for the Muslim Brotherhood would mean and how broad it would be. When it comes to what Egypt might offer the United States: simply a resumption of the partnership from which both countries can benefit.

Egypt Today: The issue of designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group is expected to be on the agenda, what are your recommendations for the U.S. president on this issue?

Rubin: I support terror designation for the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood showed how false its rhetoric of reform and democracy was when it briefly held power. However, there needs to be clarity on how extensive a designation would be given the size of the organization.

Egypt Today: What role could Egypt play in regional stability and countering terrorism in Middle East?
Rubin: The most important issue at the current stage would be defeat of radical groups in the Sinai. Egypt might potentially have a greater role in Libyan security and perhaps Yemen.

Egypt Today: What kind of the support could the U.S. give Egypt at the current stage?
Rubin: We need to ensure that Egypt has the tools to do the jobs it needs to do for its own security. Some of these involve equipment, some involve intelligence, and others are economic.