There are common arguments in Egypt circulated by some and transmitted by others without scrutiny. One of these arguments says that the current alliance between the United States and the Muslim Brotherhood– no longer a secret–aims at preserving Israel’s interests and that the US received guarantees from the Muslim Brotherhood regarding this issue. 

There are common arguments in Egypt circulated by some and transmitted by others without scrutiny. One of these arguments says that the current alliance between the United States and the Muslim Brotherhood– no longer a secret–aims at preserving Israel’s interests and that the US received guarantees from the Muslim Brotherhood regarding this issue. 

Hillary Clinton’s recent visit to Cairo a few weeks ago was an occasion to emphasize these words. Cairo and Alexandria witnessed demonstrations against the Secretary of State, due to her country alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood.  Coptic—native Egyptian Christians—leaderships also refused to meet her for the same reason.

In fact, preserving Israel’s interests is one of the most prominent constants of American policy in the Middle East; after, of course, America’s own interests.  

For decades, the US has managed to form a subsidiary regional system that maintains its interests in the region, including maintaining Israel’s security but before that, maintaining oil supplies and the capital social-economic formation.

These goals were jeopardized after the revolution.  Even if the United States were to succeed in achieving all of its goals in establishing a real democratic system that ensures social justice, it would create a radical change in the regional system, which ultimately threatens American interests. The alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood has been made in order to stop the revolution at a point where it no longer threatens those interests.

An American Dream

Let us examine United States Congressman John Kerry’s discussion with the Muslim Brotherhood in one of the first meetings between them–as officially announced–which maintains the laws governing investment in Egypt to which the Muslim Brotherhood and their political wing – Liberty and Justice Party – expressed their commitment.

This coordination didn’t come out of the blue. There was an early study published in the wake of the revolution in ‘New York Review of Books’, entitled ‘Arab Counter-Revolution’ by Hussein Agha and Robert Malley – both of whom are influential in the Democratic Party administration; which, advises cooperation with the Military Council and Islamists rather than with the revolutionary forces.

This means that cooperation, coordination or coalition, call it what you like, between the two sides, aims at keeping the current regional system, which serves the American interests and consequently the interests of its allies, including Israel; and, most importantly, the interests of Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf countries.

It also aims at ensuring that the revolution wouldn’t extend to the socio-economic aspect because such a thing would affect the interests of American companies operating in Egypt and may change the socio-economic formation not only in Egypt, but also in other Arab countries that have witnessed dramatic political changes, such as Tunisia, Libya, etc. All that may threaten the capital neoliberal system, which the US seeks to maintain all over the world.

The US realizes that the Muslim Brotherhood is a conservative organization with capitalist orientations, as they had no disagreements with the former Egyptian regime regarding privatization programs or the other economic issues, but had minor disagreements in the same approach to improve the capitalist conditions.

Khairat Al-Shatter and Hassan Malek aren’t differnt from Ahmed Ezz and the Mansours – the economic figures of the National Party. The alliance about which the analysts talk, aims only at preserving the socio-economic system that achieves American interests. This explains why the Muslim Brotherhood are neglecting the fulfilment of any of the revolution’s social demands, which is one of the reasons why protests go on from El-Mahalla to Suez to other places.