U.S. Weighs Canceling Military Exercise With Egypt

[Purveyor]

Wed Aug 14, 2013 6:42pm EDT
By Arshad Mohammed and Lesley Wroughton

Aug 14 (Reuters) - The United States is considering calling off a major military exercise with the Egypt after Egyptian security forces killed scores of protesters on Wednesday, U.S. officials said.

The bloodshed appears to have forced U.S. President Barack Obama's administration to consider adopting a more muscular stance toward the Egyptian military, which toppled Mohamed Mursi, Egypt's first freely elected president, on July 3.

The United States, which gives Egypt $1.3 billion in military aid and about $250 million in economic aid each year, has been reluctant to cut the funding for fear of antagonizing the military and losing what influence it has in the Arab world's most populous nation.

As a first step, two U.S. officials said, the administration might respond to the violence in which more than 200 people were killed by scrapping the "Bright Star" exercises, which occur every two years and are a major point of pride for the Egyptian military.

"They're taking a hard look at it," said a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

MORE...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/14/egypt-protests-usa-idUSL2N0GF1L920130814

[leveymg]

1. But, is the Administration going to call it coup?

Or human rights violations worth bringing before the Security Counsel, like they tried repeatedly with Syria?

No and no.

[NightWatcher]

2. They're a tad busy killing citizens and journalists

Maybe they can play war next year after the coup.

[GP6971]

3. Cancel it now

deployed on 2 of these exercises........not pleasant