Egypt, a country of 94 million people, lies at the crossroads of a vital region. It is largely sustained by tourism, revenues from the Suez Canal and foreign aid – its economic might traditionally outweighed by its political and cultural influence in the region. Today, it no longer commands the attention it once did from the Arab world, and the question for the United States becomes whether or how to maintain an alliance out of fidelity to a Cold War rationale.
