The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that it had approved a nearly $200 million weapons sale to Egypt, a move that is drawing widespread condemnation due to the rights abuses of the Egyptian government.
The sale is for $197 million in missiles made by Raytheon, the former employer of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement that the sale will “support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a Major Non-NATO Ally country that continues to be an important strategic partner in the Middle East.”
The approval comes after President Biden suspended some arms sales to Saudi Arabia, including a sale of Raytheon-made bombs worth an estimated $478 million. Earlier this month, the administration approved an $85 million sale of Raytheon-made missiles for Chile.
On the campaign trail, Biden slammed President Trump for his kind words for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who Trump called his “favorite dictator.” In July, Biden vowed “no more blank checks” for Sisi over Egypt’s detainment of a political prisoner.
The approval of the arms sale coincides with the arrest of family members of Mohamed Soltan, a US-based Egyptian-American political activist. Six of Soltan’s relatives were arrested on Sunday.
The money for Egypt is in COVID legislation.
Can we dispense with “human rights” !narratives as they are getting boring,
As for Egypt, this ship has sailed ling time ago.
Saudi Arabia and US maneuvered to get Islamists uprising against elected Morsi. Neither Saudis, and nearly entire Gulf — and US — were happy with Morsi and Muslim Brotherhood took over in Egypt. Not because they are Moslem Brotherhood, but because they can garner high vote count in any Moslem country, and depose monarchies. Turkey, in the other hand had a problem with meddlesome military — and preferred party system.
That was then. In Egypt military intervened to stop civil war between Brotherhood party supporters, millions of them, and Salafi Islamists, again millions. Al-Sisi has stabilized the country and moved to position it regionally to fit its needs, and internationally to revive economy. After change of leadership in KSA, back in 2017, Egypt, KSA and Sudan coordinated their foreign policy. KSA assisted Sudan in crisis, while Egypt intervened in Libyan crisis.
US largely ignored Egypt — punishment for not too cooperative Al-Sisi. But Egypt got attention from Russia and China, and has been updating its military apace. Two dozen fighter planes from Russia, and many upgrades.
And now, no longer are issues of Brotherhood dividing countries. Example, Egypt and Turkey are actually coordinating in Libya. Turkey is coordinating with Saudi Arabia, while Turkey has bases in Qatar, and both have good relations with Iran. Sudan now has a deal signed with Russia for a naval base in Port Sudan in Red Sea, that includes permission to service nuclear submarines. The base being just across Saudi largest commercial port, Jeddah. The coordination in infrastructure, including internet traffic, has been growing in the region, and is fueled by Chinese trade, as well as Russian increased share of grain trade. Egypt is using Russian assistance in civilian nuclear technology .
Egypt will welcome arms sales. But that will not buy influence any more.
With China overtaking US in becoming Europe’s number one trading partner — the handwriting is on the wall. And on Egyptian pyramids m.
“The money for Egypt is in COVID legislation.”
No, it isn’t.
The COVID legislation was part of the omnibus spending bill. So was the money for Egypt. So was the money for everything else. That’s why it’s called an omnibus spending bill.
It may well be that Biden disapproves of al-Sisi; but, he got his orders on the phone with BB. The military aid to Egypt is in reality aid to Israel -has been since Camp David- for its program of Palestinian genocide.
“In July, Biden vowed “no more blank checks” for Sisi over Egypt’s detainment of a political prisoner.”
And JoJo kept his promise. This check is for $197 million.
Handing missiles to a terrorist never ends well but as they are thousands of miles from American shores biden could careless.