US Economic Aid in Egypt

Economic aid is one of the cornerstones of the Egyptian-American relationship, and plays a significant role in promoting US policy objectives in the Middle East. Focusing on the latter half of Hosni Mubarak's rule, Dina Jadallah argues that, through its aid policy, the US has attempted to use a reforming and democratising narrative to transform Egypt into a stable "market democracy" that would be aligned with US interests in the region. This aim has been pursued in conjunction with one that promoted a comprehensive "warm peace" with Israel. By highlighting the opposition within Egypt to US aid, Jadallah analyses the key issues that came to the fore during the 2010/11 protests in the country and led to the downfall of Mubarak. Extending her analysis into the post-revolutionary period, the author provides interviews with regime insiders and prominent critics, inside state institutions and outside, who actively challenged the regime. This enables her to assess the different perceptions of US aid both under Mubarak and in the current political situation, contributing to an incisive analysis of modern Egypt and its relations with its superpower ally in the region.

Dina Jadallah is a lecturer of Arabic Language and Society in the Middle East Studies Program at the University of Southern California. She holds a Ph.D. from the School of Near Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Arizona. She is the author of numerous articles dealing with political developments in the Arab world, which have appeared in Arab Studies Quarterly, Jadaliyya, Middle East Journal, Palestine Chronicle, Counterpunch, and Mathal/Mashal among others.