A blind eye, or a slap on the wrist?
Last week on October 9th U.S. officials "announced a modest and temporary freeze"on military aid to Egypt. Senior Obama administration officials told reporters "this is not meant to permanent," implying that if Egypt was to restore a democratic government as soon as possible then it would restore the aid being held back. The aid not being withheld funds counterterrorism programs and security measures along the Sinai Peninsula, a haven for "extremist." The untouched aid also includes "programs to train and educate Egyptian military officials in the United States; the delivery of spare parts for many American-supplied weapons; and aid for health care, education and the promotion of business in Egypt." U.S. officials, however, were skeptical about the cutbacks in aid to Egypt, fearing that it would jeopardize the peace treaty of 1979 with Israel. Israel is also concerned about the cut in funding to Egypt's military in fear that tension between the two nations will break out in another brutal conflict.
In my personal opinion i believe the United States should completely stop funding Egypt's military. The reasons behind why the government does aid Egypt are clear and reasonable; however, with the recent events that have taken place since Morsi's removal from power, it is hard to say if the U.S. is doing the right thing by supporting a government that has denied its citizens their basic rights. The aid provided by the United States is "deeply unpopular with the Egyptian public." So why should we keep funding a government whose constituents do not approve of the support being given by another state. If the United States wants to send a message to it's allies about military coups, this is not the way to send it.
Sources:
Gordon, Michael R. and Landler, Mark. (2013, October 9). In Crackdown Response, U.S. Temporarily Freezes Some Military Aid to Egypt. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/
Jonathan
Elvira
Akana
Brennan
Nick
Ali
Last week on October 9th U.S. officials "announced a modest and temporary freeze"on military aid to Egypt. Senior Obama administration officials told reporters "this is not meant to permanent," implying that if Egypt was to restore a democratic government as soon as possible then it would restore the aid being held back. The aid not being withheld funds counterterrorism programs and security measures along the Sinai Peninsula, a haven for "extremist." The untouched aid also includes "programs to train and educate Egyptian military officials in the United States; the delivery of spare parts for many American-supplied weapons; and aid for health care, education and the promotion of business in Egypt." U.S. officials, however, were skeptical about the cutbacks in aid to Egypt, fearing that it would jeopardize the peace treaty of 1979 with Israel. Israel is also concerned about the cut in funding to Egypt's military in fear that tension between the two nations will break out in another brutal conflict.
In my personal opinion i believe the United States should completely stop funding Egypt's military. The reasons behind why the government does aid Egypt are clear and reasonable; however, with the recent events that have taken place since Morsi's removal from power, it is hard to say if the U.S. is doing the right thing by supporting a government that has denied its citizens their basic rights. The aid provided by the United States is "deeply unpopular with the Egyptian public." So why should we keep funding a government whose constituents do not approve of the support being given by another state. If the United States wants to send a message to it's allies about military coups, this is not the way to send it.
Sources:
Gordon, Michael R. and Landler, Mark. (2013, October 9). In Crackdown Response, U.S. Temporarily Freezes Some Military Aid to Egypt. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/
Jonathan
Elvira
Akana
Brennan
Nick
Ali
Will this cut in spending affect Egypt's ability to uphold their obligations under its peace treaty with Israel?
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