Constitutional amendments are a not game-changer for US-Egyptian relations: Egypt’s planned constitutional amendments, which could extend President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s time in office until 2034, are unlikely sour US-Egyptian relations, Middle East Institute President Paul Salem (bio) told journalists accompanying AmCham’s Doorknock lobbying tour of Washington, DC. “It doesn’t help, but it doesn’t change positions in the US,” Salem said.

Also unlikely to change things: US elections. A change in administration after the 2020 presidential elections could lead to new foreign policy positions from the White House, but overall the relationship between Egypt and the US will continue on a stable footing, according to Salem. A Democratic president is unlikely to continue the warmth that has characterized the Trump-El Sisi relationship, but Egypt’s strategic importance to US interests in the region would ensure that close ties are maintained, he said.

The US isn’t concerned by Egypt’s trip to the Russian arms shop: Egypt’s arms purchases from other countries do not concern US officials, provided they do not lead to a change of strategic alignment. “An aircraft from here or a boat from there isn’t a concern as long as it is diversification, not change to the military system,” Salem said.