Ismail highlights what Egypt and America can do together
Prime minister pens piece for The Hill on what Egypt and the US can do together to clamp down on curb terrorism, promote regional stability: Successful anti-terror policies and peace in the Arab world demand the US and Egypt engage on four fronts, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail writes for The Hill. The first is to “support counterterrorism efforts in moderate Arab states under siege by extremists within their own borders,” which will require the right mix of equipment, intelligence-sharing and logistics support” as well as “the right alignment of strategies, tactics and shared responsibilities.” Ismail also says sources of funding and weapons to terrorist organizations should be stopped. Third: “Expand trade and investment and share technologies to shore up the economies of the Arab world and enable them to provide a living standard that discourages citizens from being attracted to extreme ideologies.” The fourth element, according to Ismail, is the need to “promote a serious and genuine reform of religious discourse.” He says the effort has to be led by moderate Arabs “to advance a culture of peace by discouraging hate speech and supporting the coexistence of all peoples.” Ismail says “progress will not always be smooth, and there will inevitably be disagreements and setbacks … But progress can be made, and my government is prepared to play a more active diplomatic role.”