Recently, US President Donald Trump officially recognised Israeli governance over the occupied Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967. The move has been highly approved by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu despite vows by Syrian officials to resist the move and recover the area. This is not the first political incident to spark debate and criticism in the Middle East recently. On the tenth of January, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a speech at the American University in Cairo where he stated “America is a force for good in the Middle East.” In this declaration, Secretary Pompeo unearthed a question that often plays on the mind of many in Egypt and indeed, across the Middle East, what does American presence mean for us and, more importantly, is it benevolent? The Trump administration has already repealed a lot of the foreign policy that the preceding president put in place, including the Iran Nuclear Deal; however, it also has implemented a new policy such as the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Both of the aforementioned moves were wildly unpopular on the world stage and both had huge ramifications on Egypt….
What Does US Foreign Policy Currently Mean for Egypt and the Middle East?
March 28, 2019
