For four years, the Egyptian opposition described it as lean, during which the outgoing US President Donald Trump supported his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, describing him as a "favorite dictator." So would Joe Biden's victory give life to an opposition that has suffered division and weakness?

In conversations with Al-Jazeera Net, experts and politicians confirmed that the human rights file is the source of spirit once again for the Egyptian opposition, provided that there are real efforts and pursuit of unity and then establish good communication with the Biden administration.

Since the announcement of Democratic candidate Joe Biden's victory in the US presidential elections, there has been a state of anticipation among observers awaiting a change in US policy towards the Middle East, especially in the files of human rights and political freedoms.

Essential condition

In this context, political science professor Abdel Fattah Madi believes that Trump's departure from the White House represents a gain for all democratic forces around the world.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera Net, Madi expected that the efforts of international human rights organizations and pro-democracy forces would be strengthened with the advent of Biden, and the issue of freedoms and human rights would actually be raised at the rhetorical level in US foreign policy.

Madi stressed that converting this American rhetoric into policies and pressures requires an essential condition, which is the emergence of a real democratic opposition in Egypt, capable of adjusting the dysfunctional balance of power in favor of the regime, through a peaceful democratic change project and a new political discourse.

The professor of political science denounced the status quo of the opposition, as it has become under control with respect to parties and civil society at home, or that it is divided, dispersed and penetrated, as in the case of opposition from abroad, stressing that if this situation continues, nothing will change with Biden's arrival.

Abdel Fattah Madi called on the opposition at home and abroad to reject the old differences and polarizations of the past, and to look to the future and what should be done to build a state of law and civil democratic institutions, stressing that this is a prerequisite for taking advantage of any opportunity that appears with the new US administration.

He stressed that change towards democracy is primarily an internal issue, and it is not conceivable that democracy can be imposed from the outside, for the main reason that democracy needs political parties and a civil society.

Madi pointed out the need to understand how foreign policy is made in America, as it is not possible to rely only on the person of the new president, and the American position towards Egypt is not controlled by the president alone nor by the team that will work with him in the White House and the State Department, but there is also the Ministry of Defense that has relations. Strong strategy with the Egyptian army.

He also referred to the role of the Israeli and Emirati lobbies in supporting the continuation of the status quo in Egypt, and the United States has interests in Egypt and the Middle East, and the Biden administration will defend them as Trump did, but with softer tools, and among these interests is ensuring stability in Egypt, regardless of who rules it.

last chance

In turn, Essam Abdel Shafi, professor of political science and director of the Egyptian Institute for Studies, confirmed that Biden’s victory is an opportunity for the Egyptian opposition, as he announced during his election campaign his interest in human rights and freedoms files, and made strong statements against the Sisi regime.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera Net, Abdel-Shafi explained that Al-Sisi preceded the announcement of Biden’s victory by releasing a large number of political detainees, which the Egyptian opposition could build on, to develop a strong working mechanism and form an integrated vision in the human rights file and political openness.

On the future of the Egyptian opposition, the professor of political science pointed out that the matter is not related to Biden's victory or to anyone else, but rather it is related to the ability of this opposition to develop a strong political discourse through which it can be an effective party in the equation of the Egyptian scene.

Abdel Shafi added that there are some small working groups and some organizations concerned with the human rights file, which were already able to be a vision for dealing with the Biden administration, and the actors and officials responsible for the human rights file and those following the Egyptian issue in Biden's election campaign have been contacted, which constitutes a success case that can be built upon. In the next stage.

Opposition union

For his part, the head of the Egyptian-American Dialogue Center, Abdel Mawgoud Dardiri, believes that Biden will not interfere directly in the Egyptian affairs, adding, "But he cautioned against Sisi's practices, and said that he would not give a blank check and would not give aid to the army without setting conditions, including an investigation." There has been progress on the human rights file, and these files undoubtedly will benefit the entire Egyptian people, not just the opposition. "

In his speech to Al-Jazeera Net, the former parliamentarian stressed that if the Egyptian opposition is able to adapt to the new scene of the American administration, it will have a major role in the coming period, especially in light of the absence of the vision of the current regime, which is experiencing a popular legitimacy crisis and depends on foreign support, which is beginning to shrink Especially after the fall of Trump, according to his description.

Dardiri added, "We have to look at the matter and interact with it positively, for there to be a union of the Egyptian opposition, for there to be a vision and action in all countries of the world, and for the opposition to address the Egyptian people with a vision of the problems facing them economically, educationally and politically."

He stressed that no change will come from outside Egypt, but Joe Biden's position will be different from that of Trump if the Egyptian people move to demand their freedom, indicating that there is a trend within American think tanks towards supporting democracies and peoples' aspirations as part of achieving American interests.

He explained that there is a vision from individuals within the Egyptian opposition to deal with the change that took place in the United States, but it needs to unify the opposition so that it can formulate a collective vision in the interest of the Egyptian people who groan under the rule of Sisi.

A different situation

In the same context, former presidential candidate Ayman Nour emphasized that the Egyptian opposition has a vision to deal with the change that has occurred in the US administration.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera Net, Nour said that the US administration, during the Trump era, was outside the accounts of the Egyptian opposition, as it was not concerned at all with the conditions of human rights or freedoms, and this weakened the space for communication with the Egyptian opposition, but with civil society institutions, because Trump and his regime do not recognize such These organizations or political forces do not communicate with them, as Trump was satisfied with his favorite dictator.

Nour added that the situation under a democratic administration headed by Biden will be different, especially as he has accumulated political experience through his long party life and his work as Vice President Obama, and he has sufficient information about the situation in the Middle East, and in the Gulf and Egypt in particular.

He indicated that Biden had a vision that he hinted during his election campaign, which could be a common ground for dialogue with the Egyptian national forces, hoping that America's interests in the Middle East would not overshadow its principles in defending freedoms under the new American administration.

Nour called on the Egyptian political forces to practice popular diplomacy through institutions that express peoples, and to be open to dialogue with Western parliaments.

The responsibility of the people 

On the other hand, the head of the Egyptian Revolutionary Council, Maha Azzam, said that she does not expect Biden or any external force to save the Egyptian people, as this is the responsibility of the Egyptian people alone, but we can communicate with an elected president and an administration that claims it supports and raises the values ​​of human rights and democracy.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, the President of the Egyptian Revolutionary Council stressed that the position of the Egyptian opposition must be based on opening areas of communication on the basis of mutual respect, and that the new administration be informed of the rejection of the support provided by the previous administration to the dictatorship in our country.

Mohamed Sudan, head of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Freedom and Justice Party - the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood - believes that there is no hope that a change will happen as a result of Biden's victory, adding, "I think that Egypt does not mean Biden in anything now and he will not have time for it, as long as Sisi implements." Top management orders, "according to his description.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera Net, Sudan continued that we have not forgotten that “the July 2013 coup (the army against President Morsi) occurred during the Obama era, and many massacres such as Rab'a and her sisters and the arrest of tens of thousands - including Americans of Egyptian origin - happened during the era and blessing of Obama and his deputy, Joe Biden. ".

The leader of the Brotherhood affirms that there will be no step forward, as long as the leaders of the Egyptian opposition continue to differ among themselves.