The Hi Big 5 Show Opens Tomorrow!

The Hi Big 5 Show Opens Tomorrow!

17-20 NOVEMBER 2014. 11:00-19:00 daily. Dubai World Trade Center.

MORE FEATURES.

BIGGER SHOW.

BETTER CONSTRUCTION OUTCOMES.  *Visitor Brochure; View here to get A-Z show information;

Hi KSA participation in The Big 5 rises 75 %, with 100 companies participating in KSA pavilion organized by Saudi Exports.

Hi KSA participation in The Big 5 rises 75 %, with 100 companies participating in KSA pavilion organized by Saudi Exports.

Organized by Saudi Export Development Authority (Saudi Exports), the KSA pavilion in The Big 5, the largest construction exhibition in the Middle East to be held in Dubai from 17 – 20 November, 2014, will see the largest number of Saudi companies – a total of 100 companies – in the show’s Saudi pavilion. This represents an increase of 75 per cent over the previous edition when only 27 companies took part.

The Big 5 is the largest construction exhibition in the Middle East, serving as a networking platform for construction product suppliers and buyers to be held in Dubai Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Saudi Exports Secretary-General, Mr. Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Alhaqbani, said the authority’s participation in “The Big 5 Dubai 2014” exhibition for contracting sector and building materials was part of the preliminary phase of Saudi Exports. He added that the pavilion will feature Saudi products that are competing to increase their footprint in the global construction markets.

Alhaqbani said that the Saudi economy and the private sector were making rapid strides and Saudi Exports was contributing by providing services to companies and organizations which will pay dividends to the economy.

Alhaqbani added that Saudi Authority strives to offer value additions to Saudi manufacturers. “We work in synergy with manufacturers and government departments to attain the broader goal of boosting the economy.”

The Big 5 comes at a time when the Gulf region in general and KSA in particular are witnessing economic and construction boom.

!!!SEE YOU THERE!!!

Hi ‘The UAE has nothing to worry about’!.

Hi ‘The UAE has nothing to worry about’!.

At just two per cent, the UAE has one of the lowest inflation levels in the world, says the country’s Minister of Economy.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Summit on the Global Agenda in Dubai, Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE Minister of Economy, says that the country has been successful in controlling the prices of commodities on its territories.

He underlined the importance of the World Economic Forum’s summit in Dubai, saying that approximately 80 senior government officials were attending the conference held at Madinat Jumeirah.

When asked about the oil prices, Al Mansoori says the UAE has nothing to worry about, as the crude oil prices are still not low enough to affect the country’s budget. “The diversification of the UAE economy in the past few years means that oil prices do not directly affect the economic dynamics of the country. The Emirates has taken pertinent steps to move away from the reliance on oil revenues.”

Diversification of economies in the GCC region is the best way to move forward and avoid any negative effects of the oil price fluctuations, he says.

On foreign investment coming into the UAE, the minister says it is accelerating. With open market policies, “foreign investment in the UAE is set to rise by 10.5 per cent annually.”

More than 1,000 experts from all over the world are attending the Summit on the Global Agenda is Dubai, which will conclude on November 11.

By Atique Naqvi

Hi Egypt & Energy: What's the plan?

Hi Egypt & Energy: What's the plan?

It is no secret: Egypt is facing an energy-crisis - have a look at the most important numbers and possible solutions.

Egypt Business Directory brings you an excerpt of GAT-magazine, the official publication of the German-Arab Chamber of Industry and Commerce. The file looks at the Energy sector in Egypt, poses the most important numbers, evaluates consumption and whether coal is a plausible solution to Egypt's energy crisis. 

Hi Event Search Announcement: The Engineer Design & Innovation Show 2015!!!.

Hi Event Search Announcement: The Engineer Design & Innovation Show 2015!!!.

Hi NEWS!!!

Running from 2^nd – 4^th June 2015 at the NEC Birmingham, The Engineer Design & Innovation Show will focus on everything an engineering designer needs to do their job: from high end products and services - such as new design software and 3D printing - to the components, materials and innovative technologies used to create next-generation products and processes.

With such a wide range of content on show, the exhibition has been designed to appeal to design engineers of all levels, right through to the senior engineers and directors responsible for determining their company’s design strategy.

At the heart of the show, The Engineer Conference will provide visitors with a compelling mix of hard hitting industry keynotes, technology focussed-seminars and fascinating “show and tell” sessions revealing the engineering story behind some of the UK’s most interesting projects.

The new event will run alongside Centaur’s existing Subcon and Advanced Manufacturing exhibitions, completing a trio of shows that together highlight and celebrate the entire UK engineering value chain.

Subcon gives OEMs and higher tier suppliers access to top-quality subcontractors, the Advanced Manufacturing Show focuses on the tools and advanced manufacturing technology that OEMs and their suppliers need to make these products in-house, and The Engineer Design & Innovation show focuses on the tools and components design engineers need to bring new products to market.

We’re very excited to be launching The Engineer Design & Innovation Show alongside Subcon and AMS,’ said editor of The Engineer, Jon Excell. ‘Together the three shows will provide a one-stop shop for engineers looking for components, design services, and ultimately for someone to manufacture their product. Visitors will be able to access the entire product development chain under one roof.’

For stand space and sponsorship opportunities please contact:

Daniel Gray:

E: daniel.gray@centaur.co.uk

T: +44 (0)207 970 4150.

Hi News Transport & Tourism Carrier: Etihad offers Alitalia concession with Serbia influence under the sleeve.

Hi News Transport & Tourism Carrier: Etihad offers Alitalia concession with Serbia influence under the sleeve.

Alitalia will give up some slots on the Rome-Belgrade to its European competitors, sources close to the European Commission tell Reuters.

With Etihad’s recent 49 per cent acquisition of the Italian carrier under scrutiny from EU aviation authorities, the Abu Dhabi-based airline has been discussing possible concessions to offer in return for European antitrust approval.

Another anonymous source close to the deal told Reuters back in September that “the carriers are likely to secure EU approval if they offer minor concessions”. As such, the route between Italy and Serbia’s capital, which Alitalia serves daily, as well as other route concessions, may be freed up to European rivals such as Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines.

However, with no direct flights and fares averaging 50 per cent higher, it seems that the only major beneficiary of this agreement would be Air Serbia – which likewise serves a direct daily between Rome and Belgrade.

Crucially, Air Serbia is also 49 per cent owned by Etihad, which, therefore, suggests that potential concession wouldn’t damage the UAE national carrier’s influence in the region.

Aside from Air Serbia and Alitalia, Etihad also holds minority stakes in Air Berlin, Air Lingus and Swiss-based Darwin in Europe, as well as Virgin Australia, Air Seychelles and Jet Airways globally.

Brussels is expected to rule on the deal by November 17.

Hi Ease of Doing Business in Egypt: Not that easy?

Hi Ease of Doing Business in Egypt: Not that easy?

The World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report 

evaluates how easy it is to do business in each country, 

and ranked Egypt at place 112.

When talking about a global scale, Singapore is the country that toped the “Ease of Doing Business”-Rank, followed by New Zealand and Hong Kong. Egypt came in 112th, occupying the 73rd place in terms of ease of starting a business and 142nd in dealing with construction permits. 

It also ranked 106th in getting electricity, 84th in registering property and 71st in getting credit.

Egypt was assigned the 135th rank in protecting minority investors, 149th rank in paying taxes and 99th in the ease of trading across borders. In terms of enforcing contracts, it got ranked 152nd and 126th in terms of resolving insolvency.

It is easiest to start a business in Cairo, Alexandria and Giza, whereas getting construction permits is easiest in Suez. 

Registering property is easiest in Port Said, and if one wants to enforce contracts, he should go to Damietta.

Hi Egypt: Treasury Secretary Pledges Support for Entrepreneurship in Cairo:

Hi Egypt: Treasury Secretary Pledges Support for Entrepreneurship in Cairo:

Cairo — The United States, directly and through multilateral development banks, will help micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises flourish in Egypt and access the financing they need to develop, Treasury Secretary Lew says in Cairo.

"Entrepreneurship is vital to any economy -- but particularly for Egypt's economic future," U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew said in Cairo October 27, adding he was excited to be at the city's first technology and innovation park with people "who represent the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit needed to create the next generation of businesses in Egypt."

The park was one stop on a visit that also included meetings with Lew's Egyptian counterpart and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, shown above with the secretary.

Small businesses are vital to securing long-term, inclusive and sustainable growth in the Egyptian economy and essential to creating jobs and expanding opportunities for the Egyptian people, Lew said.

The secretary singled out access to finance as a key constraint on small businesses, and said the United States "is keenly focused on helping micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises flourish and access the financing they need to develop."

Specifically, the U.S. government is promoting delivery of credit and related services to low-income entrepreneurs in Egypt and, through the multilateral development banks, is underwriting significant changes in private-sector financing, Lew said.

As part of an effort to strengthen ties between Egyptian firms and the U.S. private sector, the U.S. Embassy will host a series of events to foster support for Egyptian entrepreneurs and demonstrate U.S. commitment to entrepreneurship in Egypt.

In November, the United States will lead a U.S. Chamber of Commerce mission that includes representatives of more than 50 large U.S. firms to Egypt. The delegation will look for progress on Egypt's economic reform agenda and signs that the business climate is safe and respectful of the rights and freedoms of the Egyptian people.

Hi Egypt signs $350 mln in oil, power financing deals with Saudi:

Hi Egypt signs $350 mln in oil, power financing deals with Saudi:

CAIRO, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Egypt signed $350 million worth of financing agreements with Saudi Arabia on Saturday aimed at upgrading its power grid and securing imports of petroleum products as it seeks to end its worst energy crisis in decades.

Power cuts have become common in Egypt as the cash-strapped government struggles to supply enough gas to its power stations let alone upgrade a grid suffering from decades of neglect.

The energy crunch has become a political hot potato in the Arab world's most populous country, which has turned from a gas exporter into a net importer in recent years as it diverts gas once destined for export to meet burgeoning domestic demand.

Lines at petrol stations and a shortage of gas were among the main public grievances against former President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood. But oil-producing Gulf allies have come to Egypt's aid since the army, prompted by mass protests, ousted Mursi last year.

Two loan agreements signed on Saturday worth a total of about $100 million will be invested in two electricity stations that are expected to boost the capacity of the national grid. A further $250 million in assistance will come in the form of petroleum products.

Saudi Arabia sent Egypt $3 billion worth of refined oil products between April and September of this year, according to an Egyptian oil official, while the total value of Saudi oil aid since July 2013 amounted to about $5 billion.

Egypt has also turned to the United Arab Emirates for oil products, signing deal in September that commits it to purchasing about 65 percent of its needs from its Gulf ally in the next year.

Egypt introduced deep cuts to energy subsidies in July, which have resulted in price rises of more than 70 percent, as it seeks to curb public spending and fuel waste. (Reporting by Lin Noueihed; Editing by Toby Chopra).

Hi INSIGHT-Mubarak-era networks return for new military man in Egypt:

Hi INSIGHT-Mubarak-era networks return for new military man in Egypt:

* Mubarak's patronage system helped ensure his survival.

* Local strongmen in rural areas key to network.

* Patronage network now backs army chief Sisi.

By Maggie Fick

SHEBIN EL KOM, Egypt, Jan 29 (Reuters) - When an uprising toppled Egyptian autocrat Hosni Mubarak, men like Ahmed Saif who helped run his vast patronage network melted away.

Three years later, Saif and other former members of Mubarak's party are back in action in the populous countryside, offering everything from refrigerators for newlyweds to welfare-like stipends to the poor in exchange for votes.

This time, the slick political machine is drumming up support for army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who toppled Egypt's first freely-elected leader, Islamist Mohamed Mursi, and is expected to become president.

Their return casts fresh doubts about the stumbling political transition in the biggest Arab state.

Although Sisi is expected to win by a landslide, the backing these wealthy local kingpins are offering suggests he could entrench his rule much the same way Mubarak did.

The 2011 revolt was meant to rid the political landscape of operators like Saif, who served in parliament under Mubarak. His money and connections give him immense sway in rural Egypt, where people usually vote for whoever distributes jobs or funds.

Saif's door is always open for anyone in the Nile Delta town of Shebin El Kom, a collection of cinderblock apartment buildings on a tributary of the Nile that winds through the country's most productive farmland, north of Cairo.

"Sit down," he said, twirling prayer beads as he sipped tea in his parlour above his nationwide tour company and greeted two men who wanted money to repair their mosque.

"If one is preparing himself to run for elections, he must give services to the people."

In the West, politicians turn to sophisticated public relations companies during electoral campaigns. Here, they look to players like Saif, who sit in their offices listening to constituents and offer solutions by opening their wallets.

Analysts say the nature of Egyptian politics means that the influence of local notables over voting habits, especially in rural towns and villages, where most people live, is likely to remain widespread for years to come.

With many of Mursi's followers in jail or driven underground, and liberal parties unable to challenge Sisi, there are few forces in a position to overhaul the system.

Mubarak's National Democratic Party, which was banned after the 2011 uprising, was never ideological, like the Communist parties in Eastern Europe. Instead the party was an efficient vehicle for distributing patronage.

Sisi, whose image hangs on posters across Shebin El Kom, may have to depend in the long-term on local politicians who can secure a level of consent from the population that cannot be achieved by force alone.

To keep his popularity intact, Sisi would have to work the strategic countryside, just like Mubarak did.

"Without the rural areas and the population outside the large cities, no government can hope to establish a political mass of support," said H.A. Hellyer, an Egypt expert and nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution.

"If you only have Cairo, you can't hope to hold on forever."

COMEBACK:

Well before Saif was elected to parliament in 2005, he was doling out cash to residents of his hometown. The community service helped Saif establish his position as what Harvard University professor Tarek Masoud calls a "local notable".

The term describes "someone with a ready-made vote bank: somebody with a non-negligible number of people who are going to vote for him no matter what," Masoud said.

After Mubarak's ouster, Saif took a backseat politically and watched Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood dominate elections.

Saif saw his opportunity to get back into the game last spring, as anger built over the Brotherhood's rule.

First, he paid to have petitions printed locally for a signature campaign that called for early elections.

Anti-Brotherhood activists told Reuters that Saif began donating supplies to them for protests that they began ahead of June 30, the date set for nationwide demonstrations. He had a platform built, a sound system and tents installed and arranged for free meals to be delivered daily.

Days later, Sisi toppled Mursi and unveiled a political roadmap he promised would bring free and fair elections.

As the state began a security crackdown on the Brotherhood, Saif reprised a role he had honed during Mubarak's rule.

He provided 10,000 meals during the holy month of Ramadan to anti-Brotherhood citizens and bought toys for children. He also kept in close touch with the new army-backed interim government.

After attending a meeting in December with interim President Adly Mansour on a new constitution, Saif held what he called "conferences" where he blared nationalistic songs, and provided people who showed up with drinks and food.

The approval of the constitution by 98 percent of voters this month paved the way for Sisi to declare his candidacy for president and Saif is ready to help.

"Sisi is a patriotic man. He saved the country," he said.

IMAGE PROBLEM:

The government in Cairo is eager to cast both the Brotherhood and Mubarak loyalists as enemies of the nation.

"There will be no return to the pre-January 25 practices because Egyptians will not allow the return of those who had a role in the arrival of things that led to (that) revolution," said Mostafa Hegazy, adviser to interim president Adly Mansour.

Still, critics say that the resurgence of such a network of support under Sisi could limit the prospect of disentangling economic policy and state finances from the ruling political elite--features of Mubarak's rule that critics say stifled Egypt's economy.

The army-backed administration says the high support for the constitution will offer an opportunity to break with the past.

But the re-emergence of people dismissed by a liberal minority as "feloul" or "remnants" from the Mubarak era suggests to analysts that Sisi can count on a potentially long rule supported by many of the people who backed Mubarak.

In the province of Menoufia, home to Saif and the birthplace of Mubarak, some residents interviewed by Reuters were uneasy about the return of Mubarak-era politicians.

A 28-year-old woman who gave her name as Marwa said she had lost hope in politics since the 2011 uprising and didn't plan to vote in the next elections.

"I don't think it'd be a good thing if they came back into politics," she said.

Still, many others are again gravitating to "feloul" like Saif -- people who guarantee an economic lifeline to the central government in Cairo, or at the very least help in a pinch.

A HOUSEHOLD NAME:

Just across town, there is further evidence that masters of the patronage system are again dominating local politics.

Back in 2010, Samer El-Tellawy, who inherited a factory that produces a tobacco brand used in water pipes around Egypt, won a seat in parliament in polls considered so widely rigged they brought on the 2011 revolt.

Involved early on as a youth leader in the local branch of Mubarak's ruling party, Tellawy's status as the wealthy scion of a well-connected family made him a natural candidate for office.

His cattle farm and the Arabian horses his brother raises at stables near the Pyramids of Giza speak volumes about the wealth amassed by Mubarak supporters.

Tellawy's factory employs around 2,600 people, a reality that makes him popular in Egypt's tough economic times.

Thousands of factories have shut since the 2011 uprising, swelling by hundreds of thousands the ranks of unemployed in a nation where two-fifths live on or around the poverty line.

When the Brotherhood came to power, a member of the Islamist group took Tellawy's seat in the 2011 elections.

"They targeted me, they attacked me," Tellawy, 36, said. "They had a problem with my popularity."

Yet his political star is rising once more. Like Saif, he sees Sisi as the answer to Egypt's myriad problems.

"June 30 was a popular revolution and the people made Sisi the leader of it. So for that reason it was successful," said Tellawy, referring to the protests which prompted the army chief to oust Mursi.

The well-dressed businessman provides services to poor citizens through his family-run charity which gives out monthly stipends to some 350 families, helps the blind, and also provides newlyweds with appliances like washing machines.

Although Tellawy would not divulge his political plans, many expect him to run for office.

"He has a big chance of winning," said high school student Mostafa Ashraf of Tellawy, reflecting the local mood.

Perhaps sensitive to the stigma against members of his former party, Tellawy has for the past three years focused on running his factory and his charity - activities, nevertheless, that boost his local cache among voters.

Masoud of Harvard University said the return of "local kingpins" to elected office would raise questions about Egyptian democracy, adding the patronage system is "not ideal."

"Now in Egypt you are a long way from the ideal anyway, so what you want is some regular electoral process in which people who want to have power accept the legitimacy of elections as a means to getting power," Masoud said.

"If we can just have a few free and fair elections that are not abrogated ... maybe that's the best you can hope for in Egypt right now."

Hi Tut, Tut: New View of King Tutankhamen Sparks Debate!.

Hi Tut, Tut: New View of King Tutankhamen Sparks Debate!. 

Anew "virtual autopsy" of Egypt's King Tutankhamun portrays him as a broad-hipped, big-breasted, weak-boned pharaoh who died in his teens due to congenital problems brought on by incest — but that depiction has some Egyptian archaeologists complaining that the boy-king is being slandered 3,300 years after his death.

The revised view of King Tut, including a virtual reconstruction of his face and body, is the centerpiece of a TV documentary airing Sunday on the Smithsonian Channel in the United States.

The U.S. version of the show is titled "King Tut's Final Mystery," but the British version aired last weekend on the BBC with the title "Tutankhamun: The Truth Uncovered."

It's that version that set off the critics in Egypt. They took issue with claims that King Tut suffered from genetic disorders because he was the progeny of a line of incestuous royal marriages. They also complained about the unflattering body reconstruction, which shows Tut with protruding buck teeth and a gnarled clubfoot.

"The scientific team is looking for fame, as their results are only speculation without any archaeological or historical evidence," Al-Ahram Weekly quoted Cairo University archaeologist Ahmed Said as saying.

Threads of evidence:

Hutan Ashrafian, a surgeon and medical researcher at Imperial College London who was involved in the making of the new documentary, said the show actually knits together multiple threads of forensic and historical evidence — including an analysis of thousands of CT scan images of King Tut's mummy.

"We've been able to contextualize his death," Ashrafian told NBC News.

Ashrafian's contribution to the show includes an effort to match up depictions of Tutankhamun and his 18th Dynasty ancestors with currently known medical conditions. In a study published in the journal Epilepsy and Behavior, Ashrafian noted that some ancient depictions show Tut with enlarged breasts and broad, "feminized" hips. What's more, Tut's father (Akhenaten), grandfather (Amenhotep III) and presumed great-grandfather (Tuthmosis IV) are portrayed with similar traits.

"There was probably an element of hormonal dysfunction to this," Ashrafian said.

Egyptian inscriptions also suggest that Tuthmosis IV and Akhenaten experienced powerful religious visions associated with the sun. Akhenaten went so far as to create a monotheistic religion based on worship of the sun god Aten. When Tutankhamun became pharaoh at the age of 10, he stuck with the Aten cult — but soon reverted to Egypt's previous religious tradition.

Based on the historical accounts, Ashrafian proposed that Tut and his forebears suffered from congenital gynecomastia (which would explain the breasts and the hips) as well as temporal lobe epilepsy (which would explain the visions).

Epilepsy has been associated with increased risk of bone fractures, and Tut also could have had a congenital bone condition such as Kohler disease. That would explain why Tut's mummy showed evidence of a badly broken leg and malformed toes — and why more than 100 walking sticks were found in his tomb.

In the documentary, Ashrafian and other experts suggest that the 18th Dynasty pharaohs could have passed down rare genetic disorders from one generation to the next because of the ancient Egyptian practice of having royal siblings marry each other. That practice kept the dynastic line "pure," but it also increased the risk of passing on congenital defects.

Dissenting opinions

Through the years, plenty of theories about King Tut's death have been advanced. Ashrafian said he came across many of them in his research. "I noticed quite clearly there are 101 different causes," he told NBC News.

In 2010, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association said Tutankhamun suffered from "multiple disorders." The study took advantage of DNA testing — as well as CT scans conducted by a team headed by Zahi Hawass, who was then Egypt's top archaeologist.

That study concluded that King Tut's death was due to the leg fracture, which was probably suffered during a fall. Researchers also found traces of DNA from a malaria-carrying parasite in Tut's remains. Malaria probably aggravated the young pharaoh's medical condition and contributed to his death, the researchers said.

The documentary is largely consistent with that scenario, but in the Al-Ahram Weekly report, Egyptian archaeologists took issue with the show's claims that Tut had a big-breasted, wide-hipped feminine look. The 2010 study found no evidence of that.

A stela at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo shows Pharaoh Akhenaten, his queen and their children worshipping the sun god Aten. Akhenaten, who was Tutankhamun's father, is shown with enlarged breasts and wide hips. That depiction that has led some researchers to suggest he had a genetically related hormonal dysfunction, while others say it was merely the artistic style of that era.

Cairo University's Said and Hawass explained that the feminized depictions of Egyptian pharaohs were part of an artistic style that was motivated by the religious beliefs of that era, and didn't necessarily reflect their true physical appearance.

They also took issue with the documentary's detailed diagnosis of congenital defects, based on incomplete knowledge about Tutankhamun's ancestors. During the show, Italian archaeologist Albert Zink says that Tut's father and mother were brother and sister, but Egyptologist Ahmed Saleh told Al-Ahram that such a claim has not yet been proven.

There's little question that King Tut was not a healthy pharaoh — on that point, "King Tut's Final Mystery" is on firm ground. But Hawass complained that the virtual reconstruction of Tut's body was scientifically unfounded.

"We know that this man had 130 walking sticks and that he used to shoot arrows while he was sitting," he told Al-Ahram, "but this does not mean he had a clubfoot."

"King Tut's Final Mystery" premieres Sunday on the Smithsonian Channel. Check local listings for air dates.

Hi KING TUT'S FINAL MYSTERY

King Tut's sudden death at the age of 19 has been a hotly debated topic ever since his tomb was discovered in the Valley of the Kings in 1922. Why did he die so young? Was he murdered? Was he killed in a chariot accident? To solve this 3,000-year-old cold case, a team of scientists will perform a virtual autopsy on the boy king, using modern technology. Their mission: to determine the cause of Tutankhamun's death and reveal, for the first time, the real boy behind the golden mask.

Hi Washington Can't Walk Away From Cairo!.

Hi Washington Can't Walk Away From Cairo!.

An Egyptian man on horse cart rides past a huge banner for Egypt's former army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in downtown Cairo, May 6, 2014. Egyptian presidential frontrunner Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday appeared to rule out reconciliation with the Muslim Brotherhood movement, raising the spectre of a prolonged conflict with a group he said was finished. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR3NZFA,CAIRO, EGYPT - MAY 23: Supporters of president candidate former Minister Defense Abdel Fattah el-Sisi organize an elective campaign before the presidential election (26-27 May) in Cairo, Egypt on 23 May, 2014. (Photo by Mohamed Hossam/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images).

As Ambassador to Egypt during the lead-up to the first Gulf War, I had the opportunity to witness what an important partner Egypt was in advancing U.S. security interests and regional stability. During the conflict to liberate Kuwait, Egypt contributed the fourth largest contingent of troops to the international coalition. Much of the American and allied deployment flowed through Egypt’s airports, airspace and the Suez Canal – all with the full cooperation of the Egyptian government. Egypt mobilized the majority of the Arab world in the defense of Kuwait, a vital contribution to U.S. diplomacy.  

Egyptian and American cooperation during the Kuwait crisis was the result of a close relationship that began in 1973, following the October War between Israel and its Arab neighbors. During the Cold War, this cooperation was a vital factor checking Soviet influence in Egypt and the region. It led to peace between Egypt and Israel, which has lasted over 30 years.  

Cooperation during the first Gulf War continued thereafter. It is hard to imagine how the US could have intervened in Iraq and Afghanistan without Egypt’s cooperation. 

Today, however, our strategic relationship with Egypt is at an inflection point that could have grave ramifications for decades to come if the U.S. fails in its responsibilities as a partner during Egypt’s current transition, political transformation and effort to quell violence.

I follow events in Egypt closely. What is happening there gives me hope and concern. On balance, I am convinced that Egypt will work through its present challenges and emerge a stable and potentially a more democratic nation. That said, I am not as sanguine about the future of the U.S.-Egypt bilateral relationship. 

It is clear that Egypt has entered a new phase in its history -- a phase in which Egypt will operate more independently, guard its sovereignty more jealously, and seek to expand the international partners with whom it cooperates. Public attitudes will affect government policies; this was not the case during the Mubarak years. The United States has not yet fully appreciated that there is no turning back in Egypt – not to the Mubarak era nor to the time of the Muslim Brotherhood. Egyptians seek order, having suffered through three years of chaos. But they want that order to be just. In their quest for stability, they seek understanding from their friends, notably the United States. Thoughtful Egyptians and the public at large do not believe we are giving Egypt the hearing it deserves.  

I also do not believe we have assimilated the Egypt that is emerging into a regional strategy which advances core American interests. Managing the Egyptian relationship in the coming years is essential to our future in the region and to Middle East peace. It is likely to test the skills and talents of our best diplomats. 

The U.S.-Egyptian relationship remains strategically important. None of the regional problems vital to American national interests can be successfully addressed without Egypt. These include calming the situations in Syria, Libya and Sudan; managing Nile River water resources; reassuring the Sunni Arab world, especially the Gulf states, that they are not alone in dealing with Iran; continuing efforts toward regional non-proliferation; and, of course, Arab-Israeli peace. Solutions to each of these issues may appear difficult today, but they will remain important to the United States for years to come and cooperation with Egypt will be essential. We need a strong relationship with Egypt and in the years ahead that means with those who hold and will continue to wield power in Egypt.

There is criticism in this country about events in Egypt and for good reason. We stand by our responsibilities as a protector of human rights.  But Egypt is trying to deal with violence. Our concerns do not hold a candle to the strength of Egyptian feeling about American policies. We must not let anger get the better of our judgment. No issue today is more sensitive than the symbols of our relationship -- our military and economic assistance relations. Delays in our assistance are interpreted as deeply unfriendly, especially when Egypt is facing an insurgency in the Sinai. This is unfortunate. When we need a strong, cooperative tone to the relationship, our current posture is seen as uncaring.

Administration officials and members of Congress today are carefully considering the future of assistance to Egypt, including the recent notification that President Obama intends to release certain equipment to Egypt. While this debate is occurring inside the Beltway, it is critical that American policymakers and politicians look at the U.S.-Egypt bilateral relationship in the context of our long term, strategic interests and allow the military and economic aid we have promised to go forward.