WASHINGTON, April 19, 2012 – AIC executive director Zainab Al-Suwaij appeared at the Bipartisan Policy Center today to discuss Egypt in the post-revolution era. From BPC’s press release:
“More than a year after mass protests forced Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak from power, the potential of Egypt’s revolution has yet to be realized. Both the direction of the country and its relations with the U.S. are uncertain.
Although parliamentary elections were held during the winter and presidential elections are scheduled for this summer, the country’s constitutional panel is marred by disagreements reflecting the divided state of the nation: a small group of liberals and minorities facing a strong majority composed of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist parties. Simultaneously, relations between Egypt’s military rulers and the U.S. are tense and Egypt’s economy continues to deteriorate – despite a renewed pledge of $1.5 billion in aid. BPC held a discussion on Egypt’s future and the implications for U.S. national security interests and foreign policy.
Participants at BPC’s event included BPC Senior Fellow and former National Security Advisor General (ret.) James Jones; Egypt’s ambassador to the U.S.,Sameh Shukry; Washington Institute Executive Director Dr. Robert Satloff; Zainab Al-Suwaij, executive director of the American Islamic Congress; and BPC Foreign Policy Director Michael Makovsky. The Washington Post‘s Mary Beth Sheridan moderated the discussion.”
