A bipartisan task force is recommending that President Obama rethink the country's approach to Egypt, and pursue a “quid pro quo†relationship that conditions American aid on the new Islamist government's cooperation on terrorism and other issues.
After decades of cooperation with Hosni Mubarak's government, the United States should build ties with President Mohamed Morsi based on mutual interests, the task force said in a report to be released on Wednesday. Rather than assume Washington can change the Islamists' ideology, the task force said, policy can leverage Egyptian behavior.
The report comes at a decisive moment in the evolving relationship between Washington and Cairo. Just last week, Mr. Morsi proved to be a critical player in working with Mr. Obama to broker a cease-fire in Gaza, leading the White House to think he could be a constructive partner in the region. But the next day, Mr. Morsi provoked an uproar at home with an edict temporarily exe mpting his decrees from judicial review.
The task force, formed by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, was headed by Vin Weber, a former Republican congressman from Minnesota who advised Mitt Romney's campaign for president, and Gregory B. Craig, a former White House counsel under Mr. Obama and top State Department official under President Bill Clinton.
In essence, the task force recommended a middle ground between continuing aid to the new Egypt without conditions and cutting it off.
The United States should “confront Egyptian leaders with a set of stark choices that would give them a pathway to act as responsible national leaders rather than as religiously inspired ideologues,†the report said. It called for “an approach whereby the United States continues to provide substantial economic and military aid while linking both direct support and backing for international financial support to Egyptian cooperat ion on key U.S. interests.â€
For example, the task force suggested devoting part of United States aid to Egypt, starting at $100 million and growing over time, to encourage the government to do more to fight terrorists in the Sinai Peninsula. Mr. Obama and Congressional leaders should also tell Cairo that human rights violations or a retreat from democratic reform would make it harder to maintain a beneficial relationship.
At the same time, the task force said Washington should expand its contacts with political opposition in Egypt and recommit to spending tens of millions of dollars to support the development of civil society. “Now is not the time to trim the sails of U.S. outreach,†the report said. “To the contrary, now is the time to redouble U.S. effort to talk with the broad array of actors in Egypt's fluid political environment.â€
Follow Peter Baker on Twitter at @peterbakernyt.
