Around 100 Syrian opposition figures recently concluded a conference in Cairo. The meeting was noteworthy for two reasons. It signaled Cairo’s cautious but unmistakable entry into the Syrian minefield, and it marks the still-fragmented opposition’s first careful steps in the direction of a compromise with the Assad regime.
President Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi’s government is determined to rehabilitate Egypt’s pan-Arab image and to restore an Egyptian role in Arab affairs—in Syria and elsewhere. “Egypt,” explains one close observer of the diplomatic efforts on Syria, “is trying to replace Istanbul as the capital of the opposition.”
On the political front, and in stark contrast to policy during the Mohamed Morsi era, the Sisi government has made no secret that Egypt’s strategic objective is to defeat Islamists and jihadis of all stripes, in Egypt and throughout the region, as part of a wide-ranging counterterror strategy. In the Syrian context, this translates into antipathy toward opposition elements associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, including those that form the core of the Syrian National Council (SNC). In the view of some in the Egyptian military, the Assad regime is fighting against the very forces seeking to undo Egypt. On the other hand, Egypt maintains a close alliance with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other GCC states that view Assad as the key problem and support the non-jihadi rebels. Sisi has come out in support of a political solution in Syria, through a revival of the Geneva process.
