• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "The Working Group On Egypt"
  ],
  "type": "other",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "Arab Awakening"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North Africa",
    "Egypt"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Democracy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

Other

Statement by the Working Group on Egypt

A call on U.S. government officials to restate clearly the United States’ support for peaceful protests in Egypt.

Link Copied
By The Working Group On Egypt
Published on Sep 25, 2019
Program mobile hero image

Program

Middle East

The Middle East Program in Washington combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.

Learn More

September 25, 2019

As members of the Working Group on Egypt (a bipartisan group of foreign affairs experts formed in 2010), we call on U.S. government officials to restate clearly the United States’ support for peaceful protests in Egypt. Authorities there have arrested more than 1,400 people after peaceful anti-corruption protests broke out in 14 Egyptian provinces on September 20 and 21.

More protests are possible in the coming days and weeks. In Egypt, President Trump’s statements after meeting with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on September 23 are being interpreted as giving Sisi a green light to use force against demonstrators and to engage in a broader crackdown.

We ask U.S. officials in the executive and legislative branches to make clear that the United States continues to stand for the following principles regarding demonstrations in Egypt, just as it has done recently regarding protests in Russia, Hong Kong, Iran, and Sudan:

  • Egyptians have the right to protest peacefully, and to exercise that right without fear of state violence or other retribution.
  • The military and police should show restraint, avoid conflict, and remain committed to the protection of the people.
  • All detained peaceful protesters, journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders should be released immediately and any charges against them dropped.

Robert Kagan (co-chair)
Michele Dunne (co-chair)
Reuel Gerecht
Amy Hawthorne
Neil Hicks
Thomas Hill
Sarah Margon
Stephen McInerney
Andrew Miller
Tamara Wittes
Ken Wollack

About the Author

The Working Group On Egypt

The Working Group On Egypt
Political ReformDemocracyNorth AfricaEgypt

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Snubbed by United Russia as Elections Loom, Medvedev Looks Condemned to Eternal Obscurity

    Medvedev’s defeat in the battle for the position of speaker appears to signal that the long process of his marginalization in Russian politics has passed the point of no return.

      Andrey Pertsev

  • Commentary
    Sada
    A New Patrimonialism is Undermining Syria’s Transition

    Syria's transition promised a fresh start. But are old habits of power making a comeback? This analysis looks at the warning signs and what it will take to build a more accountable state.

      Sima Beitinjaneh

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Taking the Pulse: Has Meloni Broken MAGA’s Civilizational Axis?

    When Giorgia Meloni very publicly rebuked Donald Trump’s disparaging remarks about her, it surprised many who saw her as a European extension of Trumpism. Is the spat a sign of trouble in the radical right’s transatlantic axis?

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz, ed.

  • Photo of commercial ship anchored near the Strait of Hormuz.
    Article
    In the Middle East and North Africa, America and China Converge More Than They Diverge

    Middle powers in the region will keep hedging between Washington and Beijing. It’s in the great powers’ interests to play along.

      • Photo of Kathryn Selfe.

      Amr Hamzawy, Kathryn Selfe

  • White House fences and stormy weather
    Paper
    The Effects of U.S. Democratic Backsliding on U.S. Power

    Democratic erosion is undercutting four key elements of U.S. power, with mounting and likely lasting effects.

      Thomas Carothers

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.