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    "Michele Dunne"
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Source: Getty

In The Media

Why The Obama Administration Picked Cairo

The Egyptian government sees President Obama's decision to address the Muslim world from Cairo as a validation of its importance in the region.

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By Michele Dunne
Published on Jun 4, 2009
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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.

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Source: NPR's Morning Edition

One of the highlights of President Obama's trip to the Middle East and Europe this week will be a speech he plans to give in Cairo in an attempt to reach out to the Muslim world.

Michele Dunne argues that the choice of Cairo was "bold and challenging" for the Obama administration.

As for the Egyptian government of Hosni Mubarak, Dunne says it sees Obama's decision to speak from Cairo as a validation of its importance in the region. She argues that the Egyptians have been very concerned recently with Iran's rise to greater regional prominence. And Saudi Arabia and even small Arab countries like Qatar have taken on a more prominent role in diplomacy.

"So," she says, "Egypt is eager to try to recapture its status as the preeminent Arab power, and I think they see President Obama's choice as helping them to do that in some way."
 

About the Author

Michele Dunne

Former Nonresident Scholar, Middle East Program

Michele Dunne was a nonresident scholar in Carnegie’s Middle East Program, where her research focuses on political and economic change in Arab countries, particularly Egypt, as well as U.S. policy in the Middle East.

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Michele Dunne
Former Nonresident Scholar, Middle East Program
Michele Dunne
Political ReformForeign PolicyNorth 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.

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