Reengaging Egypt – Options for US–Egypt Economic Relations: 90 (Policy Analyses in International Economics) - Softcover

The success of the United States' Middle East strategy depends importantly on the future course of US-Egypt economic relations. Deepening bilateral commercial and investment ties can pay both commercial and political dividends as the Obama administration refocuses US strategy in the Middle East. While the United States and Egypt have long been close partners, revitalizing US-Egypt economic relations will spur innovation and productivity gains, open new development opportunities in Egypt through expanded trade and investment, and create important precedents for future regional initiatives. In this study, the authors first assess the two countries' current commercial relationship and then provide concrete suggestions for enhancing and expanding specific areas of the US-Egypt economic relationship, such as market access, services, trade facilitation and development cooperation. Ultimately, the study sets out several promising avenues for strengthening economic ties.

Barbara Kotschwar, former research fellow, was associated with the Peterson Institute for International Economics from 2007 to October 2015. Her research focuses on trade, investment, and regional integration. Recent projects include comparative analyses of Latin American experiences with free trade agreements, Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) in Latin America, an assessment of Mexico's economy, and studies on commercial relations between the United States and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) partners.

Jeffrey J. Schott joined the Peterson Institute for International Economics in 1983 and is a senior fellow working on international trade policy and economic sanctions. During his tenure at the Institute, Schott was also a visiting lecturer at Princeton University (1994) and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University (1986–88). He was a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (1982–83) and an official of the US Treasury Department (1974–82) in international trade and energy policy. During the Tokyo Round of multilateral trade negotiations, he was a member of the US delegation that negotiated the GATT Subsidies Code. Since January 2003, he has been a member of the Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee of the US government. He is also a member of the State Department's Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy.