Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited the White House for the second time and met with his American counterpart Donald Trump on April 9. The next day, Reuters reported that Egypt had pulled out of the US effort to forge the Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA), known as the Arab NATO. A source familiar with the decision told Reuters that Egypt conveyed its stance to the United States and other concerned parties ahead of a meeting for MESA held in Riyadh April 9.

Besides the United States, the alliance includes Egypt, Jordan and the six Gulf states: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. It aims to promote regional stability, security and prosperity through enhanced multilateral cooperation at the political, security, energy and economic levels.

There are reports that the MESA alliance has been conceived to meet US needs — to target Iran and to reduce the US regional presence without allowing China or Russia to gain influence — while disregarding the priorities and constraints of prospective Arab member states.

According to Egyptian reports, Egypt made its decision due to the challenges facing the alliance. The first challenge is that the alliance is essentially linked to Trump and there is no guarantee that it will continue to exist after he leaves power. Therefore, its future is not guaranteed. The second challenge is the lack of consensus on the objectives of the alliance and the nature of the challenges and threats facing its potential member states. Such issues include combating terrorism and extremism, confronting Iran's aggressive policy in the Middle East and reducing the increase of Russian and Chinese influence in the region. The third challenge is related to the mystery surrounding the institutional aspect of the alliance and the US role therein.