Does Egypt still have a place in the U.S. grand strategy? For many pundits in Washington the answer is a resounding no. From every corner of the U.S. foreign policy community frustration abounds with Egypt. If, however, the United States is ever capable of understanding its troublesome ally and salvaging what remains of the U.S.-Egyptian alliance, it must tread carefully, following Fouad Ajami's steps, and approach the Egypt of reality, and not that of imagination. It must take a voyage to "a jaded country," as Ajami called it, and visit the land of sorrows. Samuel Tadros addresses these questions in a lecture for the Westminster Institute.

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A US flag flies off the stern of a tour boat at the Port of Los Angele in California on July 31, 2025. (Getty Images)