US’ Political Bribe to the Muslim Brotherhood

In his first official visit, John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, traveled to 9 European and Middle Eastern countries and is currently visiting Egypt. This shows that Egypt is significant for the US from many aspects. Egypt is one of the US’ allies in the region which has been faced with serious developments during the past two years. Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that these developments have been in the period of transition to democracy. Therefore, contrary to the opinion of many who call the coming to power of the Muslim Brotherhood in this county the second revolution or the confiscation of the revolution by the Islamists, I believe that Egypt is advancing towards understanding between different groups, and the three major groups in Egypt, i.e. the Islamists, other political groups besides them, and the army, have all reached the understanding that neither of them can run Egypt by itself and they have to reach an understanding.

It seems that the US’ movements are also in this direction. On Saturday, John Kerry met with the leaders of the opposition groups and demanded that the National Salvation Front, which is the most important group opposing Mohammad Morsi, change its position with regard to boycotting the parliamentary elections. Previously the US had also stated that it supports parliamentary elections in Egypt with the presence of the opposition groups of the Morsi government. While expressing concern over instability in Egypt, the US had also asked for an immediate solution to political tensions in this country. This is while the opponents of the government in Egypt have demanded the elections to be postponed.

All these are indicative of the attention given by US foreign policy to the issues of the Middle East, particularly Egypt and Palestine.  The US is concerned and sensitive about the domestic differences in Egypt and attempts to propose the issue of security in Egypt as a serious issue for this country, and in this case, is sending messages to different groups in Egypt. It is true that all disputing parties in Egypt have their own viewpoints on the existing processes in this country, but the Americans intend to emphasize that security in Egypt is more important than anything else for them and are seriously concerned about the situation getting out of hand. Thus, one of the most significant issues of concern for John Kerry is the issue of security and the reduction of differences in Egypt.

It must not be forgotten that despite the many ups and downs with regard to Egypt’s presidential election and even though Morsi gained a weak majority, he is considered as the elected president and the political structure of this country would be damaged without this legal institution. Hence, the recent behavior of the US administration with regard to the upcoming elections should not be considered as unilateral support for the Muslim Brotherhood or the Islamists, just as we saw during the Arab revolutions, when the US did not stand against the people and, despite its relations with the ruling dictators of these countries, did not support them in order to prevent the spread of anti-US waves in the region. At the present time as well, it does not support one special group. US foreign policy is moving towards balance and moderation, hence, it has sent different messages to all three sides of power in Egypt which are competing with each other. If the US supports Morsi at one point, it does not mean that Morsi is their first and last option for Egypt. Or their support of the army does not mean that the army can launch a coup in this country. It was due to the reason that, on the issue of the referendum, the US message to the Egyptian officials was that the rights of all political forces must be considered. These messages were totally calculated, which on one hand supported the presence of all political parties in Egypt’s developments, and on the other, warned against the elimination of the opposition.

The other reason why the US pays attention to Egypt, in particular the Islamists and the Muslim Brotherhood, is that US foreign policy is based on the idea of reviving the peace process. One of the most important factors in activating the Middle East peace process is having Egypt on board. Egypt is important, for it is a neighbor of Palestine and the Zionist regime and any damage to the Camp David Accords could threaten the peace and security of the region.

Furthermore, the relation between Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas is another reason for Egypt’s significance for the US.  Considering the fact that Hamas is assessed as the superior force in Palestine, the Americans can count on Egypt’s Islamists to influence Hamas. Therefore, if it is felt that the US is bribing the Islamists in Egypt and supporting them, it is because it is concerned about the revival of the peace process between the Palestinians and Israel. What the US expects from Egypt is to convince Hamas to either participate in the peace talks with Israel (which is ideal for the US) or support Mahmood Abbas’ negotiations with Israel.