Does Egypt still matter to the US? Samuel Tadros argues that it does, despite reservations from some people in Washington, but that the relationship should change. Despite the importance of rights of passage through the Suez Canal and flights over Egyptian airspace, the US can survive without both, he says. Tadros also argues that: Egypt’s control of the Arab League is no longer as strong as it was and that “the Arab League is irrelevant anyway,” maintaining peace with Israel no longer requires US support, Al Azhar no longer holds sway over the Muslim population, and a “cultural decline” left Egypt with limited soft power over the Arabic-speaking world amongst other challenges.

This doesn’t mean it’s time for the US to abandon Egypt: “It is precisely because of Egypt’s movement towards the regional abyss that the United States needs to reinvest in the American-Egyptian relationship. Egypt is no longer a regional player but rather a playing field where local, regional and international powers are in competition over the country’s future.” That said, Tadros believes the relationship should no longer be based on “an Egypt that no longer exists… Instead of focusing on military cooperation, the United States needs to develop a new partnership with Egypt that addresses the growing terrorist threat in the country, the collapse of the rule of law, the failed economic policies, the educational vacuum, and the growing sectarian hatreds that threatens the fate of the Middle East’s largest Christian community.”