Global Security and Intelligence Studies Volume 1, Number 1, Fall 2015 | Page 27

Global Security and Intelligence Studies
developments in the Middle East in line with U.S. interests” (Sharp 2014, 18).
The Israel–Egyptian relationship and treaty acted as leverage for the United
States to provide military aid to Egypt and to ensure the alignment of interests .
Essentially, the treaty was not simply an agreement between Israel–Egypt, but also
with the United States, which included their interest within the region. However, after
Mubarak’s downfall and the takeover of Morsi, Egypt’s interests dramatically changed.
The treaty was not supported by Morsi, which we will present evidence and argue later,
and changed the relationship between both Israel and Egypt, causing concern within
the United States.
Afghanistan
The Afghan–Soviet War was another contributing factor that assisted in
strengthening the intelligence-sharing relationship between Egypt and the
United States, and it was a critical issue for their mutual interests. Unlike his
predecessors, Mubarak was more cautious in dealing with the Mujahideen, but more
flexible when dealing with the United States. The Afghan–Soviet conflict served two
purposes for Mubarak: (1) cash from the United States and Saudi Arabia flowed into
the Egyptian weapon industry and (2) the war was a convenient way to get rid of
Islamic extremists who challenged their regime and was also a shared interest with the
United States that led to more cooperation in intelligence between the two countries.
However, the 1980s were a critical developmental phase in the history of Islamic jihadist
movements when they gained valuable experience in Afghan guerilla warfare (Sirrs
2010, 154).
The Arab fighters eventually returned to Egypt as a militant opposition to the
regime, or were welcomed by the neighboring country of Sudan that started to pose a
serious threat to Mubarak’s regime. Egypt’s security apparatus was focused on fighting
these internal threats during the late 1980s and the 1990s. By the mid-1990s, Mubarak’s
government started to take the upper hand because of SSIS’ brutal interrogation tactics,
torture, intimidation, and success in recruiting informants and arresting key militant
leaders. This step was also in line with U.S. interests in the region (Sirrs 2010, 154).
The First Gulf War
When Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, Egypt and its allies faced new
challenges and threats that could have reshaped the region. Egyptian
intelligence confronted those challenges by collecting and analyzing
intelligence on Iraq’s leadership, military, and opposition as well as monitoring pro-Iraq
Palestinian activists. The U.S.–Egyptian liaison channels were extremely busy during
the war, passing assessments and exchanging critical intelligence as Egypt officially
joined the coalition of forces to liberate Kuwait (“Egypt's Involvement in the Gulf War
91”
Egyptian intelligence also contributed to the coalition by working closely with
the Saudi intelligence agency. It also worked with the United States’ National Security
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