U.S. President Donald Trump arrives in Saudi Arabia Saturday with a packed agenda. He will conclude a $109.7 billion arms agreement with Riyadh, discuss opportunities for enhanced U.S.-Saudi economic cooperation, and address the leaders of over 50 Muslim-majority countries at the Arab-American-Islamic summit, which Riyadh hosts Sunday. While many leaders will jostle for time with Trump, he should give priority to a sideline meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and use that meeting to press two key concerns.
First, Trump should focus on Egypt’s continued struggles against ISIS-affiliated jihadists in the Sinai, and encourage Sisi to accept greater U.S. counterinsurgency assistance. According to U.S. estimates, during the past four years, over 2,000 Egyptian soldiers have been killed while battling a terrorist group of roughly 1,000-1,500 members. Moreover, in recent months, ISIS militants have driven hundreds of Christians from the northern Sinai city of El-Arish and established checkpoints in the area. ISIS also claimed responsibility for the Palm Sunday attacks on Coptic churches in Alexandria and Tanta, in which 45 people were murdered.
“The Cipher Brief has become the most popular outlet for former intelligence officers; no media outlet is even a close second to The Cipher Brief in terms of the number of articles published by formers.” —Sept. 2018, Studies in Intelligence, Vol. 62
Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member.
Subscriber+
