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The Spectacle Blog
Recall that the Egyptian government, prosecuting US-backed democracy groups, yielded slightly a few weeks ago by lifting a travel ban on arrested Americans — but didn’t end the prosecution, or do a thing to relax their treatment of the organizations’ Egyptian employees. Apparently, that’s good enough for the Obama administration:
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration plans to resume military aid to Egypt, American officials said on Thursday, signaling its willingness to remain deeply engaged with the generals now running the country despite concerns over abuses and a still-uncertain transition to democracy.
To restart the aid, which has been a cornerstone of American relations with Egypt for more than three decades, the administration plans on sidestepping a new Congressional requirement that for the first time directly links military assistance to the protection of basic freedoms.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to waive the requirement on national security grounds as soon as early next week, according to administration and Congressional officials. That would allow some, but not yet all of $1.3 billion in military aid this year to move forward, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so that they could discuss internal deliberations.
The threat that the military aid might end was a critical factor in the release by the Egyptian government of seven Americans employed by four American-financed international organizations that were involved in community organizing activities. The prosecutions of the Americans were part of broader concerns the Obama administration has had about Egypt’s progress since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak a year ago.
Just what are the “national security grounds” that Secretary Clinton is invoking? There have been noises from the Egyptian government about abrogating the Camp David Accords in response to an aid freeze (aid to Egypt began as an informal condition of Camp David, though there’s nothing about US aid in the treaty itself), but Egypt’s leaders seems unlikely to take that step as long as they know perfectly well that Israel has the stronger military — it is, after all, the generals who are still in charge, for the most part. The reality is that it’s bad for our national security for the Obama administration to be bending this easily.
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More Blog Posts by John Tabin
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/03/16/obama-admin-thwarts-congress-o
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Zombie Reagan| 3.16.12 @ 2:29PM
That's how it goes. We give military aid to Israel and Israel's enemies alike. Only Ron Paul would have ended this nonsense, but he makes too much sense for America.
Warrior | 3.16.12 @ 4:15PM
At least Israel is aligned with US interests. How does an unelected government official waive or change the requirements made by Congress?
Even better, how does Congress make a requirement? I thought they were legislators?
How does any government official get the authority to take money supplied by the taxpayers and redistribute it to a foreign (hostile) country?
Just rambling.
Clint| 3.16.12 @ 5:04PM
Dr.Ron Paul,
“Our military’s purpose is to defend our country, not to police the
Middle East.
“As the President prepares to send even more support to Egypt, we should
be reminded that it was our foreign aid that helped Mubarak retain power
to repress his people in the first place. Now we have to deal with the
consequences of those decisions, yet we keep repeating the same mistakes.
“I am not the only one who can see the absurdities of our foreign
policy. We give $3 billion to Israel and $12 billion to her enemies.
Most Americans know that makes no sense.
“We need to come to our senses, trade with our friends in the Middle
East (both Arab and Israeli), clean up our own economic mess so we set a
good example, and allow them to work out their own conflicts.”
The Tea Party Rebellion Heads To A Brokered Convention.
Bob| 3.16.12 @ 2:44PM
These people are the most irrational actors we've had in power in a long time.
David W| 3.16.12 @ 3:20PM
The Dhimmini-in-chief knows who calls the shots apparently.
MarkJ| 3.16.12 @ 5:47PM
So the Obama Administration likes to waive things.
I'll wager a defeated Obama & Co. will be "waiving buh-bye" (pun intended) in January 2013.
Bill| 3.16.12 @ 9:57PM
Obama is a Muslim! No wonder!
Herb Tarlek| 3.17.12 @ 6:55AM
Is he Sunni or Shia?
The refudiator| 3.17.12 @ 7:07AM
Keep it up with the Muslim stuff. It has fully permeated the GOP all the way down to the local level leadership. Our local Republican Women's leader said last week " I'd rather vote for a Mormom than a Muslim". That's a bumper sticker for the general right there. Really appealing to the undecided vote. Keep it up.
PattyMor| 3.17.12 @ 8:45AM
Obama is being consistent. He helped bring the Muslim Brotherhood to power and now he is going to give them military aid.
Oldefarte| 3.17.12 @ 2:24PM
Foreign aid to ANY country is a waste of taxpayers' money, but especially so for middle eastern countries currently. Giving money to Egypt is simply handing it over to the MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, but isn't that what this administration intentions are essentially [since the purpose of these Arab Spring revolutions being supported by this administration were to overthrow the quasi-normal former regimes that the US could previously do business with and to replace same with the administration's favored Muslim Brotherhood terrorists]??????