Aftandilian in The Arab Weekly on Sisi and Trump
Gregory Aftandilian, Lecturer at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published an Op-Ed on Egyptian President Sisi’s upcoming visit to Washington D.C. and the current state of United States-Egyptian relations.
Aftandilian’s Op-Ed, entitled “Sisi To Be Warmly Received at White House But Not in Congress,” was published in The Arab Weekly on April 8, 2019.
From the text of the Op-Ed:
The April 9 trip by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to Washington has been interpreted by critics of the Egyptian leader as a way to show that he has US President Donald Trump’s endorsement as he moves ahead with constitutional changes aimed in large part at eliminating Egypt’s two-term presidential limit.
Trump is expected to warmly praise Sisi for his leadership, fight against terrorists and role in joining other regional countries in opposing Iran. During Sisi’s 2017 White House visit, Trump lauded him for doing a “fantastic job in a very difficult situation” and is likely to do so again.
Sisi is expected to tout his government’s economic reforms, the crackdown on terrorism and mediation efforts that defused periodic violent episodes between Hamas and Israel and earned him praise from the Israeli government.
Although Trump pushed Sisi in 2017 to release an American citizen, NGO worker Aya Hijaz, and her Egyptian husband, he has not, in general, made human rights a priority. Nor is Trump likely to be bothered by proposed constitutional changes that would allow Sisi to potentially remain president through 2034 or have enhanced presidential powers over the judiciary.
Aftandilian spent over 21 years in government service, most recently on Capitol Hill where he was foreign policy adviser to Congressman Chris Van Hollen (2007-2008), professional staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and foreign policy adviser to Senator Paul Sarbanes (2000-2004), and foreign policy fellow to the late Senator Edward Kennedy (1999).