Russia re-visited

By |Salama A Salama

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The official visit by President Hosni Mubarak to Moscow and his intensive talks with President Putin leave the door open for a new interpretation of Egyptian foreign policy. Perhaps Egypt needs to forge a more balanced and diversified approach to influential world powers, not just in what concerns the Middle East and its intricacies, but in matters of economic, military, cultural and technological cooperation.

Since the mid-1980s when the Soviet Union began to fold, and even before that, Egypt has been placing, or misplacing, its hopes and trust in the US. And the latter has been making a point of consolidating its military, political, economic and strategic presence in Egypt and the Arab world. Egypt thought it deserved to be rewarded for its peace with Israel through economic and military aid and through an even- handed US approach to the Middle East. As a result, Egypt gave up many of its old friendships, leaning more heavily on its "friend" in Washington. Egypt neglected its ties with Russia, India, Brazil and Latin America. It left the door open to Israel to infiltrate Africa and gain the commercial, cultural and political influence that was once Egypt's preserve. Even when the civil war crisis evolved in Sudan, the latter could find only Colonel Gaddafi to turn to. As a result, the crisis was internationalised, with America and other African countries playing mediators, leaving Egypt out in the cold.

Our past experience with the world's sole superpower is not a happy one. The US has proved itself to be inconstant and unreliable, a country that shifts its positions and breaks its promises. Middle East peace, therefore, has turned from a process aiming towards a just solution to a means of bolstering Israel. The aim is to make the latter outstrip all Arab countries combined in terms of military, technological and economic prowess.

Faced with US flagrant bias towards Israel, a bias that has turned into clear and unmasked coordination under the neo- conservatives, Arab countries often attempt to introduce some balance into the scene through closer ties with the EU and Russia. Often, they lose heart and rush back into Washington's arms, paying regular visits to the US, sending endless delegations of businessmen, trying in vain to win the superpower over to their side.

For over 20 years, Egypt has given more than it has received. The outcome is now clear: a virtual loss of Palestinian rights, a full collapse of the concept of just peace, a war in Iraq that ended in indefinite occupation, terror that comes in escalating waves, blackmail disguised under calls for reform and bilateral ties that lack transparency.

No one denies that the US is the world's sole superpower. No one denies that Russia is not what it once was. But Russia is still a major player in the international scene, and its political position on Middle East peace, Iraq, terror and international law is one with which the Arabs happen to agree. We don't need to repeat the mistakes of the 1960s when we put all our political eggs in the Soviet basket. But it may not be a bad idea to re-arrange our foreign policy priorities. Russia and India, Africa and Latin America are all worthy of cooperation. We don't have to swing too fast or go too far, but we may want to restore some perspective to our foreign policy. As many have been saying of late, we should put "Egypt first".