U.S. freezes ‘large scale’ arms aid to Egypt

[BainsBane]

Source: Yahoo News

The United States announced Wednesday that it was “recalibrating” its aid to Egypt, withholding Apache helicopters, F-16 fighters, tank parts, Harpoon missiles and about $260 million in economic aid in a moved to push the country's military and interim government down the path to democracy.

The decision came three months after Egypt’s military removed democratically elected President Mohammed Morsi from power – an ouster that Washington has refused to brand a “coup,” drawing international ridicule. That determination would have required a halt of U.S. aid.

“We have decided to maintain our relationship with the Egyptian government, while recalibrating our assistance to Egypt to best advance our interests,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a written statement.

Washington will still provide economic aid that goes “directly” to the Egyptian people in areas like health, education, and private-sector development, she said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/u-s--freezes-%E2%80%98large-scale%E2%80%99-arms-aid-to-egypt-210708360.html

[BainsBane]

1. Egypt ranks 5th in US Aid

from the same link above:

Egypt is the fifth-largest recipient of international aid from the United States, behind Israel, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. Though the amount of annual aid to Egypt fluctuates from year to year, the U.S. has sent Egypt an average of $2 billion in annual financial packages since 1979.

[RC]

2. If we would stop selling or giving away our old war toys to anyone we have not made an enemy of yet,

maybe Peace could break out in different places in the world.
It would be a good start.

[BainsBane]

3. Egypt has received this aid

for decades because of its peace treaty with Israel signed in 1979. The US has been paying for loyalty and non-aggression toward Israel.

[JimDandy]

4. Good! We shouldn't be

supplying weaponry to what is now looking like a military coup operation against Egyptian citizens. I don't care for the Muslim Brotherhood -- they weren't on a path to the democracy Egyptians had demanded during their overthrow of Mubarak, but there are other citizen factions that need to be given the chance to achieve democracy. The military doesn't seem to be giving up their power to allow that to happen, so we shouldn't be arming them.

[EgyptianDentist]

7. off topic but you are ignorant

The problem with the US community is how they think they know the situation when in fact it's based on false reporting. The Egyptian people were the ones that revolted against that morsi. I was one of them. We respect that the army didnt kill us in favor of morsi and his retarded brotherhoods..
US should declare what happened in Egypt a coup if it thinks so cause we dont care, your aid is a curse, old people think it is important but I am done with this strategy, we will be better if we stop depending on US money and aid.

[DevonRex]

11. We don't like the use of the word "retarded" here. Odd that you'd use it. nt

[BainsBane]

14. believe me, we'd love to save the money

and spend it on education, infrastructure, etc. . . Your view of the US doesn't account for the reality of geopolitics today. Now, it's almost certainly true that the US will not always be the center of the world in terms of international relations, but at this point it continues to be. Few of us on this site like that our country plays that role, but it is reality.

[EgyptianDentist]

5. Cant wait when US stops all relations with Egypt

I came to a conclusion that we cant develop and progress while being a US ally, it limits our decisions, our foreign relations. There's also a false opinion here in Cairo that without the US aid we would go down, and it aint true, we need a reality slap, we need to deal directly with our economic and social problems, we need to stop being the country that depends on others! We have become a community that lives on aid, it's annoying and we cant progress that way..

[BainsBane]

6. The only countries the US has no foreign relations with

are enemies like Iran and North Korea. If that happened to Egypt, they would be isolated and existing under economic sanctions.

[EgyptianDentist]

8. The US isnt the center of the world

The only thing I admire about the stupid Iranian regime is that their economy doesn't depend on US. Sure they have oil which helps, but we should try depending on ourselves in Egypt. The situation has become annoying, each time we do something people wonder about the "US approval" We need to cut this cycle even if it means we suffer for a while, no pain no gain.. We have to do it for our future if we need to be a real country.. We should watch US movies and laugh, but we shouldn't depend on US money.. That's my dream..

[hardcover]

9. Your dream is my dream

I dream of seeing the pyramids but that's not happening until Egypt finds a way to prevent Islamic extremists from targeting tourists. I have been waiting a very long time.

[DevonRex]

10. Your views align exactly with the right wing of this country. Curious that. nt

[Nihil]

13. Quit smearing the newbie.

If you want to disagree with him/her, do so with a constructive reply.

Don't just post content-free posts implying that they are a right-winger
simply because you don't agree with them.

[DevonRex]

17. I will say what I like within reason to anyone who says they don't want to be our ally.

And that they "can't wait" for the U.S. to cease all relations with their country. And who happens to use American vernacular and American RW talking points.

Yeah, I happen to think in terms of what's better for MY country, too. And if we want to start looking at it that way I'd sure as hell rather that money had gone to people here who needed it than to people there. Even now. Our people are paying through the nose, comparatively speaking, for health care. Perhaps this dentist in Cairo can figure out how to provide it in Egypt since that's what she wants to do.

And since I'm supposed to ignore the RW talking points and American vernacular.

[penultimate]

16. His end conclusion might be similar to what some right-wingers believe

but it his reasoning behind why he claims he feels that way are not the same. There is also nothing to really suggest that he isn't who he says he is, as nothing he said seems too outlandish.

Then again, perhaps he is some right-winger from the US pretending to be someone he isn't, but there isn't much to suggest that's the case right now.

[Alamuti Lotus]

12. without US aid, only certain factions in Egypt would go down

I'm not sure if you strongly identify with the ruling class of your country, but they are indeed dependent on such things. That, of course, in no way implies that the nation as a whole would suffer too much--except in the sense that the narrow oligarchy centered around the upper echelons of the military and a handful of rich businessmen imagine themselves to be the most important interests of your (or any) nation. As a basic premise, I would say that there is always an extreme disconnect between the people of a nation and the relative handful of figures that imagine themselves their governing class--would you agree?

[EgyptianDentist]

18. Ruling class?

No, I am not from the Ruling class or related to them, I just hear the talk about the @*## US aid and it makes angry we have been walking in long streets without an end for decades thinking we cant live another way! I strongly believe we can do it without the US aid or being an ally, for many reasons including I don't support the spying US government and its acts in the middle east. So, I think the only way to convince my people and the ruling class we can get rid of the aid, is by walking up in the morning to find it vanished..

[awoke_in_2003]

15. You know the worst thing about Internet news?...

No on proofreads. "...in economic aid in a moved to push the country's..."

When you cannot properly conjugate a verb how can you expect to be taken seriously?