US scraps military drills with Egypt _ but not aid

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By JULIE PACE and NEDRA PICKLER

CHILMARK, Mass. (AP) - President Barack Obama scrapped plans for joint American-Egyptian military exercises Thursday, announcing the first concrete U.S. reaction to the spiraling violence in and around Cairo but stopping well short of withholding $1.3 billion in annual American military aid.

The measured response underscored the Obama administration's concern that revoking financial support could further destabilize Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country and an important U.S. ally in a combustible region. And it was unclear whether the cancellation of the military exercises, known as Bright Star, would have any impact in stemming the violence that threatens the interim Egyptian government's promises of a political transition following the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi.

The president, speaking from his rented vacation home on Martha's Vineyard, warned that continued fighting would lead Egypt down a "dangerous path," and he called on both the government and protesters to show restraint. He said that while close engagement with Egypt was in U.S. national security interests, "our traditional cooperation cannot continue as usual when civilians are being killed in the streets and rights are being rolled back."

In a statement, Egypt's interim government warned that Obama's statement, "while it's not based on facts ... can empower the violent militant groups' and encourage them in their destabilizing discourse."

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20130816/DA86N0002.html

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President Barack Obama makes a statement to the media regarding events in Egypt, from his rental vacation home in Chilmark Mass., on the island of Martha's Vineyard, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2013. The president announced that the US is canceling joint military exercise with Egypt amid violence. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

[David__77]

1. Obama can choose to make an enemy of Egypt.

The statement regarding civilians being killed in the street will only encourage MB to seek additional martyrdom operations. There ARE civilians, with armed terrorists interspersed between them and using them as human shields. Instead of recognizing this, Obama's statement sets up the inevitable demand for "regime change" just as we saw in Syria.

And, speaking of Syria, the government response there to a similar scenario was restrained by comparison.

[shaayecanaan]

2. When China massacred students at Tiananmen Square...

the United States passed arms sanctions against China which it maintains to this day.

I guess some massacres are more important than others.

[DeSwiss]

3. China's a rival.....

...Egypt's on the payroll.



BIG BROTHER NSA never sleeps.

[Lancero]

4. Sad

As long as Egypt continues to pledge it's loyalty to the US, the US will keep rewarding them for killing their own citizens.

[branford]

6. There's even a word for it . . . Realpolitik.

I also believe that Obama is in a no win situation.

His choices are between military rule or the Muslim Brotherhood. I wish there was a choice "C," but I don't think the Quakers are much of a political force in Egypt.

Supporting the military, while still opposing the bloody crackdown, might simply be the "least bad" option for ultimate stability in the region as well as more direct American interests.

[Kolesar]

10. The foils just wait on the sidelines and then attack President Obama when something looks bad

The foils could be Republicans, libertarians, etc.

"Quakers", lol

[warrant46]

13. And enabled Walmart to sell billions of $$$$$

worth of shoddily made plastic crap, to the sheep, who could afford little else

[Alamuti Lotus]

5. keeps up appearances while doing nothing of substance

Actions speak louder than words: it can safely be assumed that these actions are fully supported by the US gov't, and recent history can supply innumerable comparable precedents.

It really is most inconsiderate for the massacred to be inconveniencing the guy in the middle of his luxury vacation. The nerve of some people! Why, if they weren't already dead, I'd say they deserved to be shot for almost ruining the parties.

[Kolesar]

8. Dude, Clinton's been out of office since 2001

We are tired of hearing this refrain: the guy in the middle of his luxury vacation.

[mwrguy]

7. Their military seems like it might be too busy for exercises anyway

[Kolesar]

9. The $1.3 billion was to keep Mubarek from fighting Israel

He and Sadat used the money to keep themselves in power. It is a relic of the Camp David Accords that President Carter brokered.

Does anybody have a better idea? We have about no other leverage on Egypt.

[joshcryer]

11. The US will never stop sending military aid to Egypt.

Nor Jordan, nor a plethora of middle east states:

[branford]

12. The charts and graphs are selective and somewhat deceiving.

Much of the aid to the indicated nations, and almost all the aid to Israel, is conditioned on spending that money to buy American products, particularly military and security goods.

This aid is like a stealth stimulus. I assume if much if the aid to the region is cut, you would be fine with the significant job losses, particularly many good union manufacturing and engineering jobs in the aerospace and defense industries.

I also assume that you will have no objection to our further lack of influence in the region that often mitigates the worst excesses of many less-than-democratic, but pro-US, regimes. When woman are further marginalized, more homosexuals killed and reformers and journalists jailed without any countervailing force, that will be acceptable as well.

Providing aid is not binary proposition of war vs. peace. It does, however, often lead to less or more restrained war, and saving innumerable lives. The perfect should not be the enemy of good in foreign relations.