The relationship between Egypt and the West has been a tale of conflicts, indifference, and apathy. The root of bad relations between Egypt and the West dates back to the Suez Canal crisis which began on October 29, 1956.
History of the conflict between the West and Egypt
The Suez Canal was crucial for Europe as it controlled two-thirds of the oil supply to the continent. However, the then Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser had nationalized the Canal with a tacit nudge from the Soviet Union and started arguing that tolls from the ships passing through the Canal would be used to fund the construction of the Aswan Dam on the Nile River, which the US had then refused to build.
Angered by the nationalization of the Suez Canal, Israeli, French, and British forces launched a joint attack against Egypt. This single crisis damaged ties between Egypt and the Western world for a long time to come. Later in 1967, Egypt fought the six-day war with Israel, in which it lost the Sinai Peninsula to the Jewish nation. Later, in 1973, Egypt again joined Syria in a joint war effort against Israel. Two wars with a Western ally further embittered ties between Egypt and Western powers.
Egypt and Israel did normalise bilateral ties in 1979. However, there was no marked improvement in Egypt-West relations. Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organisation that came to power with the support of a US-backed movement but started hurting American interests themselves before it was ousted in 2013 by an interim government in Egypt.
Read More: Egypt has proved to be a Middle East power centre and the West must concede its position
The rise of el-Sissi and the fall of Muslim brotherhood
It was in June of 2014 when incumbent Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi stormed to power. It was a watershed moment for the country as Egypt’s domestic and foreign policies were soon to undergo a complete makeover. Right after assuming office, he started suppressing the Muslim Brotherhood by implementing policies commonly regarded as effective means of “decapitating” hierarchical organizations.
In 2017, el-Sisi made a big move by declaring a nationwide state of emergency to combat terrorism. Egypt has become the flag bearer of the anti-Muslim Brotherhood movement in the Middle East. Taking into consideration the country’s close proximity to Libya, Israel, Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus, Egypt under el-Sissi becomes a central power whose policies have repercussions on sensitive zones like Libya and the Gaza Strip.
In fact, Egypt is the only country that enjoys close ties to Israel and is also respected highly by Hamas. The Hamas leadership understands that the supply of necessities to Gaza cannot be secured without Egypt’s cooperation and also Hamas leaders get to visit Egypt without any restrictions. This makes Egypt a capable mediator between Israel and Hamas.
USA’s continued indifference towards Egypt
But Egypt’s highly prized position in today’s Middle Eastern order is still dwarfed by scarred political history between Cairo and the Western capitals. The West continues to hound Egypt and its leader el-Sissi for sins that Egypt’s current generation never committed. Simply put, the West has so far failed to acknowledge and award Egypt’s el-Sissi regime for its phenomenal efforts towards annihilating terrorism and bringing peace into the region.
But now, it seems that Cairo has run out of patience. And it has started looking eastwards to shore up its economy and global clout. Sensing an opportunity here, Putin is now pulling a fast one on West here. In June, Atlantic Council reported that Egypt is cozying up to Russia in a way never seen before.
Russia scurries to fill the void
Russia’s state-owned atomic energy firm, Rosatom, had then made a surprise announcement that it would begin producing equipment for Egypt’s first nuclear power plant in the northwest town of El-Dabaa. The development had raised concerns in the United States and Europe.
Russia has committed to financing 85 percent of the cost of the El-Dabaa project through a $25 billion loan over a twenty-two-year period. Egyptian energy minister Tariq al-Mulla in February had declared that the ties between the two countries were excellent. Last month, Russia had committed to fulfilling orders for cereal products to Egypt despite Ukraine threatening to disrupt food supplies through the Black Sea.
And interestingly, South Korea, a traditional US ally, has also shown interest in partnering with Russia in order to expand its influence in Africa. South Korea has signed a 3 trillion won or $2.25 billion contract with a Russian state-run nuclear energy company to provide components and construct turbine buildings for Egypt’s first nuclear power plant. South Korea wants to develop its EV and battery industry, and its relations with resource-rich Africa might come in handy.
All in all, Russia and countries like South Korea are now expanding their influence in Africa, especially in Egypt, at the West’s expense. This will make Egypt an economic as well as a military superpower in the region. With Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt sliding away from the West in the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region, Russia is going to become an invincible force. Egypt’s partnership with Russia is a big win-win for both nations, where the former will see its economy and military grow at an unprecedented pace while the latter will emerge as the only dominant foreign player in Africa and the Middle East.
