As political and economic troubles continue in Egypt and with war on Turkey's borders, these two countries, each with roots in political Islam, have turned to each other to build an alliance. The two countries have recently completed joint naval exercises in the Mediterranean Sea and Turkey has even offered a $2 billion aid package to bolster Egypt's economy. Furthermore, a wide-range partnership is expected to occur when the Turkish prime minister goes to Cairo. Since Turkey's ties with Syria have been severed, its political and economic associations with the Arab world have been undermined. As a result, the alliance could "help it emerge from the tumult of Arab revolutions." Even though each country have different understandings as to how Islam and democracy coexist, their connection offers a future for a new Sunni Islamic bloc. On the other hand, the two leaders have "risked alienating their domestic political audiences by engaging so deeply with each other" (Turkey's secularists versus Egypt's conservative Muslims). In addition, as Turkey's role is changing in the Middle East, there still exists the Egyptian psyche that Egypt should be the leader of the region.
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Amanda Ngo
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