SCZONE showcases investment opportunities to eight Japanese companies    Egypt urges Israel to accept Gaza deal amid intensifying fighting    Egypt, ADIB explore strategic partnership in digital healthcare, investment    Egypt's PM meets Tokyo governor, witnesses signing of education agreements    Egypt welcomes international efforts for peace in Ukraine    Al-Sisi, Macron reaffirm strategic partnership, coordinate on Gaza crisis    Egypt's Sisi, France's Macron discuss Gaza ceasefire efforts in phone call    Contact Reports Strong 1H-2025 on Financing, Insurance Gains    Egypt, India's BDR Group in talks to establish biologics, cancer drug facility    AUC graduates first cohort of film industry business certificate    Egypt to tighten waste rules, cut rice straw fees to curb pollution    Indian tourist arrivals to Egypt jump 18.8% in H1-2025: ministry data    Egyptian pound down vs. US dollar at Monday's close – CBE    Egypt prepares unified stance ahead of COP30 in Brazil    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



US aid: "Recalibration" or change of strategy?
Published in Daily News Egypt on 12 - 10 - 2013

The U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday that it would halt the delivery of large-scale military systems and cash assistance to Egypt's government. It said "credible progress" must be made towards free and fair elections. US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States is "recalibrating" its military aid to Egypt. While State Department did not provide a dollar amount, officials said the freeze amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars. According to officials, the US is halting the delivery of F-16s, Apache helicopters, Harpoon missiles as well as Abrams tank kits.
Such move had been widely anticipated, with deliveries of military equipment already frozen, and joint military exercises cancelled; this simply marked the end of more than 2 years of speculation surrounding the fate of the famed $1.5 Billion purse.
So, away from both the ultra-nationalistic rhetoric and the democracy advocacy garb, let us attempt to make sense of this situation and its true significance.
World's Reaction:
The European Union has maintained a more neutral stance than the US on the aid situation as any European aid cuts would be hard to implement since the bulk of current assistance is mainly directed at social programmes. EU governments also fear that any move to cut military assistance could hamper the Egyptian authorities' ability to address attacks in the tremulous Sinai Peninsula.
Saudi Arabia, who has been positioning itself as the main supporter of current Egyptian regime, has rebuffed the US stance; Saudi rulers have openly affirmed that if the Americans cut aid, they will plug any deficit. Saudi Arabia along with Kuwait and UAE have already pledged $12 billion in the weeks following the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi.
Israel has expressed reservation towards the US decision. While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not directly commented on the decision, he said that Israel's interest is in having a peace treaty in place, adding that the treaty is heavily based on US military aid. Other Israeli officials bluntly opposed such aid cuts, claiming that they might have effects far beyond Egypt.
Significance of the Move:
The cutoff of some of the US aid should not be looked at as merely symbolic nor is it directly related to the current political situation in Egypt. This suspension accentuates a strategic shift which is taking place in the region. While the aid has helped the United States achieve short-term political objectives, the field is drastically changing for the US; so despite the fact that the word "Recalibrating aid" was used, the reality suggests a brewing change of strategy. In short, the move signals that the US commitment to Middle East security at large is seemingly dropping off the list of America's global priorities. In fact, the US has a plethora of reasons for such change of heart.
One time allies in the Gulf region are charging forward with policies at odd with Washington. Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates for instance have shown great disappointment when the US shelved possible military strikes against Assad's regime. Most of the Gulf States are growing apprehensive as Washington attempts to make amends with Iran.
The anti-US rhetoric is growing louder in Egypt suggesting that the US can no longer appease the masses or the government; both have long anticipated the cut and are seemingly defiant.
For the US, there are also several logical arguments to accept these signals and move on with a new strategy. The US is overtaking Russia as the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas. In this sense, America is steadily decreasing its reliance on Gulf oil. In fact, the US is less dependent on Middle East oil than at any time in the past century. This in terms suggests that the US would be less willing to intervene in the Middle East.
Finally, when evaluating the military aid package as a cornerstone of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, the US clearly sees no possible damage to the relation between the two archrivals. Israeli security officials often assert that relations with their Egyptian counterparts are strengthening. Recently, Amos Yadlin – former head of Israel's military intelligence – has said the peace accord with Egypt is robust and will remain so despite the decision to scale back military aid.
So with the US aid money no longer securing US interests and partly no longer welcomed, the US has seemingly decided to move on.


Clic here to read the story from its source.