WarSclerotic

Israel Hayom | Moscow on the Nile.

“We cannot depend on the Americans anymore and are going to work with Russia soon,” Egyptian Defense Minister Col. Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi announced after a last minute visit from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Cairo over the weekend. El-Sissi’s statements underscore his disappointment in the U.S.’s Egypt policy in the last few years.

The souring relations between the U.S. and Egypt seemed to only get worse, especially after the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi in July. Following the violent repression of Muslim Brotherhood supporters in the Egyptian streets, which left hundreds dead, the U.S. administration announced in October that it was freezing military aid to Egypt worth $260 million and putting arms deliveries to Egypt, including military jets, helicopters, tanks and artillery, on hold.

It appears el-Sissi’s announcement was meant to lay the groundwork for the high-ranking Russian delegation set to arrive in Cairo this weekend. Russia and Egypt have been holding secret talks in recent months, with the goal of establishing a new strategic alliance in the area. Such an alliance would further weaken the U.S.’s sway in the area and give Russia a foothold in Egypt for the first time in 40 years.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy visited Moscow last month, and now the Russian foreign and defense minister will be arriving in Cairo. The Russian visit is historically significant; it is the first time high-ranking Russian officials will visit Cairo in official capacity since Former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat kicked out his Soviet advisers in the early 1970s.

According to a report by Asharq Al-Awsat, Egypt is being offered a package of advanced weaponry valued at $4 billion. In return, Egypt will give Russia naval access to its Alexandria port, which would allow it to further entrench itself in the Mediterranean and would serve as a backup in case its port in Tartus, Syria, falls in the fighting of the Syrian civil war.

Aside from determining the fate of Mohamed Morsi, Kerry’s visit to Cairo was intended to dissuade Egypt from seeking new partners and to bring U.S.-Egypt relations back on track. Kerry gave assurances that there would be at least a partial unfreezing of the weapons promised to be sent to Egypt. The Egyptian foreign minister said that Egypt was an independent country, and independence meant having “alternatives,” implying that it was no longer obligated to the U.S.

Despite the developments, Egypt does not seem to be rushing to replace its ally with Russia. However, Egypt is no doubt using Russia to expand its national and military sway from its position since the 1979 peace accords with Israel, when the U.S. became Egypt’s sole weapons provider and dictated its national policy.

Dr. Ronen Itzhak is head of the Middle East Studies Department at the Western Galilee College.

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