Mursi “kisses Saudi ass” and ushers in new Era of US dominance over Egyptian politics

Analysis – Egyptian leader looks abroad to win influence at home
20 July, 2012 – By Tom Pfeiffer – Reuters

CAIRO: An early diplomatic offensive by Egypt’s new Islamist president makes it harder for an army-led establishment to portray him on the international stage as a threat to foreign powers.

At home though, it may do little to curb the influence of the generals and help Mursi assert himself as head of state.

Egypt’s long-standing allies Saudi Arabia and the United States are unwilling to challenge the army’s role as self-appointed protector of Egypt, which it uses to justify continued control over national security and a future constitution.

Mursi has the first real popular mandate in Egypt’s history yet the army has kept the power to veto any law he passes after dissolving a parliament dominated by his allies in the Muslim Brotherhood, citing a court ruling.

In an apparent swipe at the Brotherhood during a visit to Egypt by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Egypt’s top general, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, said the army would not allow a “specific group” to dominate Egypt.

Clinton urged a swift move to accountable government after meeting the new president and said the U.S. supported the army’s return to a “purely national security role”. Images of her chatting with Mursi were relayed widely on television.

But Clinton’s visit also included meetings with women’s representatives and Christian groups who fear their rights could be eroded if Islamists take full control via the ballot box.

She held a meeting with Tantawi that was more low-key than her earlier encounter with Mursi, but the order of ceremonies may say more about official protocol than any real change in the pecking order.

For now, Mursi may still be too weak, and the Brotherhood too untested, for Washington to bring decisive pressure to bear on the generals on his behalf.

“Mursi is trying to use foreign support, to the extent it is available, for a transition to a more democratic polity to enhance his powers and those of the Brotherhood,” said Kamran Bokhari, vice president for the Middle East and South Asia at Stratfor.

But he said the military leadership remained a partner of choice for the outside world, “partly because of longstanding relations and partly because of U.S. uncertainty over the Brotherhood coming to power”.

SAUDI OVERTURES

Mursi seemed to be doing his best to have it otherwise on a visit last week to U.S. ally and regional power Saudi Arabia, whose monarchy looked on with unease last year as popular uprisings spread through the region.

While sharing similar ideology to the conservative Saudi monarchy, the Brotherhood has a popular appeal that some perceive as a threat to the authority of the Saudi government.

Mursi, surely anxious to keep vital Saudi financial aid flowing into Egypt’s depleted state coffers after he took office, did his best to mend the Brotherhood’s strained ties with the oil-rich kingdom.

“Saudi Arabia is the home to the Two Holy Mosques and the sponsor of the moderate Sunni Islamic project and Egypt is the protector of this project. Between the sponsor and the protector there are bonds of family and marriage,” he said in comments carried by Egypt’s state news agency MENA.
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