The Foreign Service Journal, September 2008

importance as a force for peace and stability — a view that he hopes will be reflected in the new administra- tion. Dr. Adel Soliman, executive director of the International Cent- er for Future and Strategic Studies, a Cairo-based think-tank, offers a somewhat different perspective. He agrees that the bilateral relationship is based on a common desire for peace and stability in the region. But he blames the cur- rent differences on the Bush administration’s interference in the domestic situation in Egypt under the slogan of pro- moting democracy and human rights. Soliman adds that there is no doubt that Pres. Bush’s speech in the Israeli Knesset earlier this year, in which he strongly supported Israel’s settlement policy in the Palestinian occupied terri- tories, has had a very bad impact on Egyptian and Arab public opinion. At the same time, Soliman acknowledges that the Egyptians are not good at conveying their message to the American public to clarify views on certain issues. For that reason, he calls upon the Arab communities in the United States to unify their stance, with the aim of defending the interests of the region. Dr. Abdel Aziz Shadi, a professor of political science and economy at Cairo University, char- acterizes bilateral ties under the Bush administration as “declining” due to Bush’s focus on combating terrorism and promoting political reforms in the region. In his opin- ion, Bush wants to impose his vision on the Arab countries without taking into consideration the cultural and social nature of those societies, which need more space to adopt such reforms. If Obama wins the election, bilateral relations might F O C U S 26 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8 The opposition in Egypt foresees better chances for strategic ties with the United States under an Obama administration.