Potentially interesting developments in the U.S.-Egypt relationship as Egyptians take to the streets to protest the Mubarak government:
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs declined to say Wednesday whether the U.S. still supports Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, reiterating that Egypt remains “a strong ally.”
Gibbs said this morning that the White House is “still monitoring the situation” in Egypt, where Mubarak is the target of protesters opposing his authoritarian government.
“We continue to believe first and foremost, that any of the parties, all of the parties should refrain from violence,” Gibbs told the press aboard Air Force One. “We support, as the president mentioned last night about the people of Tunisia, the universal rights of the people of Egypt. And this is an important time for the government to demonstrate its responsiveness to the people of Egypt and in recognizing those universal rights.”
Points of inquiry:
1. What is our current foreign aid, in all forms, to Egypt?
2. Will Ayman al-Zawahiri return to Egypt if Pharoah Hosni falls?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCivil unrest in a country with a thriving Muslim jihadist community that's immediately adjacent to Israel - what could possibly go wrong?
I believe our foreign aid to Egypt easily exceeds $2B annually. I don't know if a billion qualifies as "real money" anymore.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat does the WH think we're going to get instead? Sadat? Gandhi? We'd be lucky to get an Egyptian Assad.
Remember the old Middle Eastern saying: no peace without Syria, no war without Egypt. A ground war with Israel could become a real possibility, not overnight, but sooner than anyone is thinking today.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf Mubarak falls the chance of the Muslim Brotherhood taking over is at least 75%. So perhaps we look back on Gibbs omission as we do when Carter threw the Shah under the bus. Hate to break this to the Wilsonians out there but Muslims and Democracy are oxymorons.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf Mubarak falls, we will get Mohammed El Baradei...at least temporarily. He will rule until the next elections, and then its anybody's guess.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse---"If Mubarak falls, we will get Mohammed El Baradei...at least temporarily. "---
very temporarily...dead man walking
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseUs aid to Egypt for the last 30 years on average $1billion a year, none of it has helped the Egyptian people, the masses, it has lined the pockets of Mubarak and his corrupt gang. Egypt would have been far better off without this aid, with people having having freedom of expression and making something of themselves. When the Berlin wall fell the west celebrated saying people are free, why keep people in Egypt and other parts of the world prisoners? It is about time every man woman and child on earth got their birth right of freedom and rights which have been denied to most of the population of the world.
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