Egypt to Obama: 'Keep Your Aid'

Yeah.....Now that the Egyptian military is crushing the Muslim Brotherhood and cracking down on Islamic extremists...Democracy (the Muslim Brotherhood back in power) isn't coming fast enough for Obama. So let's cut off our aid to Egypt:

A U.S. decision to curtail military and economic aid to Egypt to promote democracy may ultimately backfire, pushing Cairo to seek assistance elsewhere and giving Washington less leverage to stabilize a country in the heart of the Middle East.

Washington faces a dilemma in dealing with its major regional ally: Egypt controls the Suez Canal and has a peace treaty with neighboring Israel but its army overthrew the first freely elected president, Islamist Mohamed Mursi, in July. 

The United States said on Wednesday it would withhold deliveries of tanks, fighter aircraft, helicopters and missiles to Cairo as well as $260 million in cash aid to push the army-backed government to steer the nation towards democracy.

Egypt's government, the second largest recipient of U.S. aid after Israel, said it would not bow to American pressure. The country's military, which has been leading the crackdown against Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, can afford to be even more defiant. 

Hundreds of Brotherhood members were killed and about 2,000 Islamist activists and Brotherhood leaders, including Mursi, were arrested. 

Army chief Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has emerged as the most popular public figure in Egypt, and he is well aware that many Egyptians have both turned sharply against the Brotherhood and bitterly concluded that Washington supports the movement.

[...] 

Military officials told Reuters that the country's generals have grown mistrustful of the United States throughout the political crisis that erupted after Mursi's overthrow. 

They were infuriated from early on when the United States began hinting that action could be taken to demonstrate Washington's displeasure at Mursi's removal. Military officials said they were not surprised by the reduction in aid. 

"There is a saying among us that 'whoever is covered by the Americans is in fact naked'," one military source said.

"Americans shift their positions based on their interests and don't have principles. But we also know that whatever they say or hint they would do, in the end they will not want to lose Egypt." 

Egypt's army is exploring its options. "The military definitely has plans to diversify its source of weapons which include going to Russia," said the military source, who did not elaborate.

Read the full story HERE and read a related story below:

Cutback of US aid to Egypt leaves Israel nervous

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