The Atlantic

Egypt Is Trump Country

But is the American president’s embrace of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as radical as it seems?
Source: Carlos Barria / Reuters

In one of his first acts in office, President Donald Trump phoned his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The symbolism was telling: Sisi wasn’t just another Arab autocrat but one of the region’s most repressive. The Trump-Sisi mutual appreciation society of two continues this week during President Sisi’s much-hyped (in Egypt) visit to Washington.

The authoritarian instinct is easily recognizable among fellow travelers. Like liberalism, it too is universal, cutting across national boundaries. I, like but not in others) and of course Sisi himself, did little to hide for the Republican nominee. Most of my relatives enthusiastically backed the August 14, 2013 of Muslim Brotherhood supporters. And this is what they like about Trump—that he the Brotherhood just as much as they do.

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