Analysts: US Military Aid Cut to Egypt Largely ‘Symbolic’

Israel Urges US to Backtrack, Restore Aid

The partial cut to US military aid to Egypt is largely “symbolic,” according to Egypt analysts, who say that the move is unlikely to prompt any reforms from the nation’s military junta.

The US announced the cuts Wednesday, and they will only impact the delivery of certain heavy weapons, while the majority of the aid, including direct training for the junta’s leadership, will remain intact.

Egypt’s junta has also said that the aid cut is an unacceptable infringement on their policy-making powers, and that they will not allow the US to impact their timetable for a return to “democratic” rule.

Israel, for its part, is continuing to condemn the aid cut, saying that ensuring the Israel-Egypt peace treaty is paramount and that the US must restore its aid to Egypt to its full amount “as quickly as possible.”

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.