Last weekend?s mass shooting of demonstrators in Cairo, which Human Rights Watch denounced as showing a ?criminal disregard for people?s lives,? only underscores what we knew already: This military takeover is not a re-boot of democracy. It?s a bloody coup.
How quickly the crowds that cheered the ouster of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi have been replaced by angry protestors, shouldering the bodies of their slain relatives. Many were shot straight through the head or chest, in clearly targeted killings, as Islamists and other Morsi supporters staged peaceful sit-ins and rallies.
Yesterday, the European Union?s top foreign policy official visited Cairo to reiterate that the military must deliver on its pledge to transition to a civilian government that includes the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies. But like the United States, the EU has no imminent plans to rethink its aid to Egypt.
Why should we expect Egypt?s generals to heed our advice, if we put no muscle behind the message?
Our first priority must be to stop these killings of civilians in the street. That means signaling that we are serious by suspending our $1.3 billion in military aid, which represents the bulk of U.S. assistance to Egypt. We can continue to provide economic aid, but we cannot be the bankrollers of an increasingly brutal regime.
This isn?t just a moral issue. It?s a national security danger. Think about it: The Muslim Brotherhood used peaceful, democratic means to get Morsi elected, only to see him forcibly removed from office. Naturally, Islamists are now asking, what good is democracy? And if they decide to take up arms instead, the United States may become the target for a new breed of terrorist.
We must make sure we do not become the country that financed this crackdown against democracy. The Obama administration has already suspended some military aid and delayed a delivery of fighter jets to Egypt to signal its displeasure. But it?s still ducking the larger issue by refusing to call Morsi?s ouster a coup, which allows us to continue to provide most of our military aid.
There are, of course, plenty of practical concerns tied up in these semantics. A big one is our ally, Israel: If the Egyptian military no longer has U.S. financial support to halt the smuggling of weapons to Hamas, the Palestinian militant group might use them to launch terrorist attacks across the border from Sinai. The United States could also be left on the hook for millions in contract termination fees, and American defense contractors would lose valuable sales.
Yet after last weekend?s killings, Democrats such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) have begun to advocate suspending military aid to Egypt. Even New Jersey?s own Sen. Robert Menendez, who is against cutting off aid money, sees the need to use it as leverage. The question is, do we revoke our aid only if the military ends up staying in power, as Menendez favors, or do it immediately?
Rather than continue to provide millions to the military in the hope the generals will listen, the United States should cut off aid now, and restore it only in the event of a peaceful transition through a democratic election.
The continued slaughter of protestors further illustrates the insincerity of General Sisi, chief of the Egyptian military, who claimed his forces would stay out of politics. He is looking more and more like a despot, along the lines of former dictator Gamal Abdel Nasser. And we must act now, to ensure that history of repression doesn?t repeat itself.
Source: http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2013/07/us_should_cut_off_all_military.html
Riots Zimmerman angela corey e news Money in the Bank 2013 Zimmerman Verdict Casey Anthony Pregnant Home Run Derby 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment