THALIF DEEN, thalifdeen at aol.com
United Nations bureau chief for Inter Press Service, Deen recently wrote the pieces “U.S. Arms Industry Would Lose Big from Egypt Aid Cut-Off” and “UN Chief Lambastes Egypt’s Army but Refuses to Affirm Coup.”
ROBERT NAIMAN, naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
Policy director of Just Foreign Policy, Naiman recently wrote the article “If We Cut Aid to Egypt’s Military, Would We Die?” which states: “If you’re not following the debate about whether U.S. aid to Egypt’s military should be cut — as required by multiple, clear-cut U.S. laws — in the wake of the military coup that overthrew Egypt’s democratically elected president and the subsequent predictable massacres by the Egyptian military of people protesting against the coup, you’re missing a great opportunity to learn about how U.S. foreign policy is typically made in the real world in the absence of significant public pressure, as opposed to the fairy tale world in which ‘we have values, while other countries have interests.’
“Some may say, ‘well, I already knew that,’ but when you consider that every new U.S. war is typically accompanied by media hysteria about how it’s an absolute emergency to bomb, invade and/or occupy country X to prevent massacres and/or protect country X’s women, children, and minorities, you realize that until the U.S. becomes a normal country that isn’t constantly running around bombing, invading, and occupying other people’s countries, the lesson that Washington’s professed concern for human rights is, in the absence of public pressure, a direct consequence of other, less publicly marketable interests is a lesson that can’t be repeated often enough.
“On August 16, the New York Times ran a very instructive ‘news analysis’ about U.S. aid to Egypt’s military. Now titled ‘Ties With Egypt Army Constrain Washington,’ the article offered reasons why the Pentagon is reluctant for the U.S. to cut aid to Egypt’s military. The first reason offered was this: ‘Most nations, including many close allies of the United States, require up to a week’s notice before American warplanes are allowed to cross their territory. Not Egypt, which offers near-automatic approval for military overflights, to resupply the war effort in Afghanistan or to carry out counterterrorism operations in the Middle East, Southwest Asia or the Horn of Africa. Losing that route could significantly increase flight times to the region.’ …”
See also Foreign Policy: “Egypt’s Rulers Have a New Friend in D.C.: The Israel Lobby” and New York Times: “Saudi Arabia Promises to Aid Egypt’s Regime.”
