The Interest-Based Relations of the Ruling Elites as the Determining Main Variable in U.S.-Egypt Relations and the Hegemony

This study claims that the main determinant in US-Egypt relations during the Mubarak era (1981-2011) were the mutual interests of the power elites of both countries. That process which began at the political level between the two countries during the Sadat era (1970-1981), evolved into reciprocal economic and political relations among the ruling elites of both Cairo and Wahington, gaining a social dimension during the Mubarak era. The relations among the power elites of the two countries have been very influential in determining bilateral relations and foreign policy. In this study, case analysis and process analysis research techniques have been utilized. The relations between the US and Egypt are evaluated according to the basic concepts of Neo-Gramscian theory, considering material resources, institutions, ideology, the concept of the historical bloc and hegemonic social classes. The hypothesis that the most decisive dynamic in the political determination between the US and Egypt are mutual interest relationships and ideological alignments among the hegemonic social classes will be explained on applying the Gramscian concepts onto historical and interaction between both actors.