CAIRO: United States President Barack Obama has started change. This change is to dramatically cutting US funds to promote democracy in Egypt, a cut that could negatively affect democracy in the region. This cut could affect anti-corruption programs and monitoring the elections, making it easier to rig elections. Washington has cut around 50 percent of funding in the past year. This sparks accusations that the Obama administration is easing off reform pressure on the autocratic government of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to ensure its support on Middle East policy, including the peace process with Israel. “Obama wants change that won't make the Egyptian government angry,” said Ahmed Samih, head of a Cairo-based organization that in 2005 used US funds to monitor parliament elections. “And in the Egyptian context, that means there will be no change.” “The United States is committed to the promotion of democracy and human rights and the development of civil society in Egypt,” said USAID—Washington’s international aid agency—in a statement to the Associated Press, they said the cuts came as Washington was drawing down nonmilitary aid to Egypt in general over recent years. The Obama administration cut more funds from democracy in Jordan, another US ally. The cut is due to more development and economic aid to Afghanistan and Pakistan. It also shows how Obama has differed from Bush’s aggressive push to democratize the regimes of the Middle East. Egypt was the centerpiece of the Bush administrations’ policy; straining US ties with Mubarak—even though the American Reform push fell out of the picture at the end of the Bush era. The U.S. based democracy watchdog Freedom House said The democracy cuts for Egypt are “of particular concern as the environment there becomes increasingly restricted — as evidenced by recent crackdowns against political activists, bloggers, and journalists.†Egypt has been one of the top recipients of US foreign aid ever since it became the first Arab country to sign a peace accord with Israel in 1979. The aid has been as high as $2 billion a year in the past, including a $1.3 billion in funds for Egypt’s military. Since the Bush era, Washington has been reducing the nonmilitary part of the package. This year's aid, like last year's, is $1.55 billion, including $250 million in nonmilitary aid. In 2008, the Bush administration cut around $45 million of that to programs for “Governing Justly and Democratically.†A portion directly funded non-governmental organizations—known as “civil society†groups—that carried out independent programs to promote human rights, hold the government accountable and promoted reform. The 2009 budget for Egypt was changed; the Bush administration cut the same amount. But when the Obama administration came to office, they rearranged the funds, with only $20 million put to the democracy program, moving the difference to strictly economic projects, according to the State Department reports to Congress. It has laid out slightly higher funds, $25 million, for the 2010 and 2011 fiscal year. The Obama administration has also imposed new rules barring USAID money to unregistered groups, both Egyptian and international. Many groups do not register with the Egyptian government because they fear pressure and interference. Freedom House warned that the new rules are “essentially giving the Egyptian Government veto power over who receives funding from USAID.” These changes come at a murky time for Egypt. Presidential elections are due in 2011, but the health of 81-year-old Mubarak has raised question about whether he will run. Mubarak does not have a clear successor. The past elections of Egyptian government have been notorious for reports of widespread rigging to ensure ruling party victories. The Egyptian Center for Human Rights was turned down for $300,000 from USAID to monitor elections for parliament's upper house last year, said its director, Safwat Girgis. He turned to one of the American agencies authorized to fund unregistered groups, but was told it does not deal with election monitoring. USAID also yanked funding for another project of Girgis' group to promote communication between Egypt's Muslims and Christians through public workshops and the rights of women and the disabled, he said. A bill before Egypt's parliament would impose heavy punishments on these groups unless they apply to the state. Under the bill, the government can reject registration for any NGO if security agencies do not approve. The state can also break up the board of directors of any registered nonprofit or pull its license. “Obama wants to democratize the region the way the leaders of the Arab countries want, not the way the Arab people want,” Girgis said. BM
