Egypt and Libya: How the Arab Spring Affected Foreign Policy after the Overthrows of Longtime Leaders

Haley Shaw Dr. Christopher Cook PL SC 442 April 27, 2014

Introduction This paper will compare the United States foreign policy toward Egypt and Libya before and after the Arab Spring. It focuses on the results of the overthrows of the longtime leaders in both of these countries during the Arab Spring: Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and Muammar al Qaddafi in Libya. The United States foreign policy with both these countries was very different before the Arab Spring, but the situations are now comparable with respect to the challenges and complexities the transition to new leadership has introduced. Egypt and U.S. Foreign Policy Before the Arab Spring Egypt has always been an important ally to the United States in the Arab region. Egypt has been the second-largest recipient of aid from the United States since 1979 and the United States had a positive lasting relationship with Hosni Mubarak since he took office in 1981 (Sharp 2014). Before the Arab Spring, Egypt was a moderate balancing voice in the Arab world, always remaining relatively stable. Greatly contributing to the stability of Egypt was the United States assistance, which also gave America influence in key decisions about Egyptian policies and created developments conforming to the United States interests in the region (Council on Foreign Relations 2002). The key to the relationship between Egypt and the United States was the military ties. The United States gave close to $2 billion every year to Egypt in economic and military aid, which was justified as an investment in regional stability. The American aid sent a message of domestic moderation and deterrence to other countries within the region. The relationship had also influenced Egypt to modernize its military and it has strengthened Egypts economy. Positive foreign policy with Egypt was key for the United States because it created a moderate

Egypt that was central to peace and stability throughout the Middle East and American presence in the region (Council on Foreign Relations 2002). Events of the Arab Spring in Egypt Hosni Mubarak had been in power since October 14, 1981 and had a lasting relationship with the United States. On February 11, 2011, Mubarak resigned as a result of political unrest for almost three weeks in the country. After he resigned, Mubarak was ordered to stand for trial for murder because of deaths that occurred as a result of the protests before he resigned (Saleh and Zayed 2011). Egypt and U.S. Foreign Policy after the Arab Spring After the Arab Spring, foreign policy with Egypt greatly changed multiple times. The first change was after the resignation of Hosni Mubarak on February 11, 2011 and before the election of Mohammed Morsi on June 30, 2012. The United States sent $165 million in the weeks following the resignation to support Egypts economy and the political transition that was taking place in the country. This was part of the aid initiatives started by the Obama Administration to stabilize the economies of Arab countries in transition. During this time there was also high anti-American sentiment in the country and the Egyptian military pushed back against the United States support for a democratic transition in the country by jailing American employees of U.S.-based organizations (Sharp 2014). The foreign policy changed again when President Mohammed Morsi was elected. As soon as Morsi was elected, United States officials cautiously extended a hand to the new Egyptian government. The United States was skeptical of the Islamist leader of the country, but stated that they would judge by actions, not words. The United States also tried to keep close ties with the military to balance the United States interests. A few months into his rule, Morsi

issued a controversial constitutional declaration that started unrest in the country. It also made the United States and other backers to question their support of the government led by the Muslim Brotherhood (Sharp 2014). Seven months later, the United States foreign policy with Egypt changed greatly for a third time in this period after president Mohammed Morsi was ousted on July 3rd, 2013. President Obama released a statement that said the United States is not aligned with, and does not support, any particular Egyptian political party or group. Egyptian politics were too polarized. The United States also suspended joint military exercises, the delivery of some weapons systems and cash transfers. However, the United States continued some military aid payments. This was consistent with a law set forth by the United States that says it will not aid a country whose elected leader was ousted (Sharp 2014). Libya And U.S. Foreign Policy Before the Arab Spring The relationship with Libya was far different than the relationship with Egypt before the Arab Spring. In 1969 Muammar al Qaddafi ascended to power in Libya with the overthrow of King Idris and quickly established himself as an authoritarian leader. Relations with the United States deteriorated quickly because Libya devised violent foreign policy with the aim of Qaddafi becoming a world revolutionary leader. In addition, Libya also supported many terrorist groups, both Western and Israeli targeted. Realizing that they would not get along, the Libyan Embassy in Washington, D.C. was closed in 1981 (Dider 2011). Throughout the years, Libya maintained many aggressive policies toward the United States. Libya was one of the first Middle Eastern nations to participate in the oil embargo against the United States after the United States supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War in 1973. There were also several violent attacks against the United States in the 1970s, 1980s and

1990s including the bombing of a discotheque, the hijacking of Pan Am flight 73, and two airplane bombings. The United States disagreed with Libyas pursuit of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missiles during these three decades as well (Dider 2011). In the decade before the Arab Spring, foreign relations with Libya began to improve. After the attacks on September 11th, 2001, Qaddafi was one of the first to condemn to perpetrators, improving the United States image of him. In 2003, Libya announced that it would be shutting down its WMD program and they invited inspectors to their country. They also joined the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the Additional Protocol, and the Chemical Weapons Convention, all of which have to do with the nonproliferation of WMD (Dider 2011). Foreign policy and foreign relations continued to improve until the Arab Spring, with a few minor snags along the way. However, after the Arab Spring, foreign policy between Libya and the United States would be completely different, almost unrecognizable. Events of the Arab Spring in Libya The Arab Spring protests began in Benghazi, Libya on February 15, 2011. Opposition forces controlled most of Benghazi three days later and the country descended into civil war. The civil war was fought for eight months with the United States and other western powers supporting the rebel forces. The war ended shortly after the capture and killing of Muammar al Qaddafi on October 20, 2011 (Gamal and Gaynor 2011). Libya and U.S. Foreign Policy After the Arab Spring The Arab Spring greatly changed the dynamic of Libyas government. It went from being a state with which the United States could not cooperate, to a state going in a direction that was desirable to lasting positive foreign policy with the United States. Libya was one of the most successful stories to come out of the uprisings of the Arab Spring with elections happening

about a year and a half after the start of the Arab Spring in the country, and a constitution being drafted by an elected commission. The elections also boosted the confidence of the public in their current leaders and it gained legitimacy for the leaders among the citizens (Vandewalle 2012). After the Arab Spring, Libya slowly became a country that could act effectively because of its new government. In addition, a year and a half after the start of the Arab Spring in Libya, all the schools had reopened and retail business was flourishing. New media outlets had also been formed after being rejected for 42 years in Qaddafis era. Libya had become a free country, more compatible with United States than ever before. As Libya continues to develop, western countries including the United States must remain supportive (Vandewalle 2012). In the same regard, Libya must remain a country with which the United States and western countries can form positive lasting foreign relations. There was one major event that caused difficulty in relations between Libya and the United States after the Arab Spring. On September 11, 2012, the United States Embassy in Benghazi, Libya was attacked and the ambassador, Christopher Stevens, as well as another diplomat, were killed. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, made a statement on September 12, 2012 that said the attack was an attack by a small and savage group, not the people or government of Libya (National Public Radio 2012). With this statement, hopefully everyone will understand that Libya was not the entity attacking the Unites States, and positive foreign policy will be able to be achieved. Conclusion Foreign Policy is Never Simple The Arab Spring greatly changed the foreign policy of the United States with regard to Egypt and Libya, but the transitions have created situations that are comparable regarding the

challenges and complexities. The Arab Spring was a movement consistent with the United States foreign policy objectives of encouraging the formation of democratic governments and leaderships, but it did not make foreign policy any easier, if anything, it made it far more complicated. Before the Arab Spring, even if the United States did not like everything about the Egyptian government, the two countries had a working positive relationship and Egypt was a strategic ally to the United States in the region. After the Arab Spring, Egypt was no longer an ally, and they could not have a positive working relationship, because the government in Egypt was unpredictable. Egypt could no longer be viewed simply as an ally in the Arab World: they were now in fluctuation. Before the Arab Spring, Libya was a simple enemy of the United States. Libya supported terrorist acts and was a target of United States military actions instead of a recipient of aid such as Egypt. After the Arab Spring, Libyas government was far more favorable in the eyes of the United States; however, the relationship was complicated by the attack on the United States Embassy in Benghazi and the murder of the United States Ambassador, Christopher Stevens. Hopefully, the United States relationship and foreign policy will only improve now that Libya is a democratic country. All around, the Arab Spring could be viewed as a positive event when perceived from the policy point of view, but the violence was unfortunate. The Arab Spring resulted in democratic governments and people voicing their opinions and using their right to elect their government, which is a step forward that the United States has aimed for in the region. In years to come, hopefully the United States foreign policy only improves with both Egypt and Libya, but there is a long way to go in order to have stable lasting relationships with both of these countries.

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