Back to Square One: The U.S. Government and Political Change in Egypt

This new report calls on the U.S. government to:

• Provide clear, sustained and consistent public statements from Washington on its assessment of the situation in Egypt and the ramifications for U.S. interests, including human rights and democracy;
• Clarify how U.S. administration officials propose to promote human rights and democracy in Egypt within the legislative framework  of the recently adopted FY14 Omnibus Appropriation, which appears to weaken human rights and democracy conditions attached to U.S. foreign assistance, which is primarily military assistance, to Egypt;
• Work with its donor partners to establish sizeable, sustained economic incentives for Egypt’s leaders that should be conditioned on Egypt adhering to democratic norms and international human rights standards;
• Use its vote and influence at the IMF to withhold loans to Egypt until sound economic policies are in place and meaningful progress is made on human rights and the rule of law;
• Use targeted funding to support civil society efforts to combat human rights abuses and promote an enabling environment that advances religious pluralism and tolerance;
• Promote clear, uniform conditions for the registration and operation of political parties that agree to be bound by the rules of peaceful, democratic contestation;
• Push the Egyptian authorities to investigate all incidents of violence against Christians, assaults on their property and institutions, and hold accountable those responsible; and
• Make available through the Justice Department, resources for prosecutions and police trainings.

Photo: Jonathan Rashad