CAIRO - IS this the first time for a US secretary of state visiting Egypt to encounter a demonstration opposing the visit, organised by some political powers? Or does President Mohammed Morsi's election propaganda include a promise to cut political and economic ties with Washington? Public demonstration against Clinton's visit to Cairo conveyed a clear message to the US administration that post-revolution Egypt is different from the Egypt of Mubarak and it is time for the US to adopt a new strategy towards Egypt, considering the people's desires rather than those of its rulers. It must be clear now that Egypt wants full independence in the decision-making process; it does not want to be dictated to by the US or any other world power, when it comes to its sovereignty and domestic affairs. However, we should recall that this same language was used by the US under Mubarak, despite his being a strategic ally of Washington and Tel Aviv. And the fact that an Islamist is now ruling Egypt doesn't mean cutting ties with the world powers, including the US, which continued to support Mubarak's totalitarian regime at the cost of democracy and respect for human rights. Most importantly, we should focus not on the American language being directed at Cairo but on the strategy and language the new President will use in addressing the world, including its biggest power. Experiments of regional countries, such as Turkey, show that it is possible to have good, friendly relations with the US and the West, without compromising our national dignity or the independence of our decision-making. Senior officials from different countries have started to flow into Cairo, eager to ascertain the strategy of Egypt's first democratically elected President. Such visits will define the relations between Egypt and these countries for the foreseeable future.
