Mubarak Comes to Washington

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak arrived in the U.S. on Saturday for his first visit in six years. Today, Mubarak will meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  Mubarak’s meeting with President Obama tomorrow is set to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Sudan, regional security and the Iranian nuclear program, leaving little space for discussion of human rights and democracy, reports al-Arabiya.

In the Washington Post today, Michele Dunne writes that the uptick in cooperation between Cairo and Washington should be viewed in a larger context than collaboration aimed at solving the Israeli-Palestinian issue.  The succession issue in Egypt, as well as the likelihood of unfair parliamentary elections next year, signals that Egypt is on the verge of change.

Citing POMED’s recent analysis that reports reduced funding for democracy-promotion in Egypt, Dunne writes that in this “climate of renewed goodwill” between the U.S. and Egypt, Obama should seize the opportunity to emphasize a pro-democracy and human rights message.  Importantly, she writes that a convergence of pertinent mutual interests–such as curbing Hamas’ power as well as Iranian nuclear ambitions–will reinforce cooperation.  In other words, she contends that promoting democracy and increased political pluralism in Egypt will not cause Mubarak to shy away from cooperation on the Palestinian-Israeli front, which is a priority issue for the Obama administration.