Egypt’s Deadly Slide

Posted: 2013-07-24 08:00:06

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wigwag

“Time and money are running out before economic conditions for ordinary Egyptians lurch even further downward.” (Walter Russell Mead)

I don’t know whether time is running out, but the money sure isn’t running out. Since the coup (or whatever it was) the money spigots have been on in full force. The Saudis and the Gulf Arabs, in a display of financial power that can only be described as awesome, have poured $12 billion into Egyptian coffers in just the past 30 days. This doesn’t even include all the free gasoline and kerosine that they’ve put at Egypt’s disposal. Given their resources, they can continue to do this for years.

It’s a great scene really; the Saudis supporting secular Egytpians at the same time as President Obama and his Ambassador to Egypt lament the fall of the Muslim Brothers.

What the Saudis have done is prove how irrelevant Obama, the West and the IMF have become. Thanks to the Saudis and Gulf Arabs, western aid looks like little more than a rounding error.

It’s good to see that Saudi Arabia’s Prince Bandar is looking out for American interests even if President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry are not.
- rheddles
  
  And gas in the US headed to $4/gal. Every time the Suez Canal is at risk, oil goes to triple digits. So the Saudi incentive to reduce the risk is?
  - wigwag
    
    The Saudis hate the Muslim Brothers with the white hot passion of a thousand suns. They view the viability of the brothers as a direct threat to the Saudi Royal Family. Every Gulf Kingdom with the exception of Qatar agrees (and even Qatar may be coming around).
    
    Why do you think the Saudis and Gulf Arabs provided the Egyptians with billions of dollars of aid within hours of Morsi’ downfall?
- bpuharic
  
  Uh…Obama et al have been noting the decline of a democratically elected government in Egypt.
  
  There aren’t a whole lot of options here. This is a Muslim state which, by definition, means it’s undemocratic. Sorry to break you into reality, but that’s the way it is.
  
  And by all means, let the Saudis spend their money propping up and spreading Wahabism. They’ve had great success given the neocon failure at nation building in Iraq.
  - wigwag
    
    Surprised though you may be to hear it, bpuharic, I don’t disagree with you. Given the tendency of everything President Obama touches in the realm of foreign policy to turn into you know what, I think it is far better for him to avert his eyes to the Egyptian imbroglio and do nothing. Better to leave the intervention to the adults on the international scene like Prince Bandar.
    
    As for your criticism of the neoconservatives; again you are right. You shouldn’t forget however that Obama’s liberal internationalists like Susan Rice and Samantha Power are little more than neoconservatives dressed in ruffles and frills.
    - bpuharic
      
      Rather odd, isn’t it, that the great neocon success of the Iraq war, which killed 4400 US troops and cost us over 2 trillion…haven’t been repeated by Obama.
      
      If that’s a success, thank god Obama’s a failure. We don’t need more Arlington funerals to show us how successful conservative foreign policy is.
      - wigwag
        
        If you will read my reply to you with a little care, you will see that I agree with you that the neocons are a disaster. It says very little about President Obama that the best defense can come up with for him is that he is not as bad as the neocons are.
        
        Didn’t he promise to be a transformative president.?
        
        Wasn’t he about hope and change?
        
        Do you remember his Cairo speech?
        
        Wasn’t President Obama going to repair the relations between the United States and the Muslim word?
        
        Shouldn’t we hold Obama to the standard he set for himself?
        
        How’s that all working out?
      - bpuharic
        
        Obama is a transformative president unless you think universal healthcare is something the US has always provided, and preventing a 2nd great depression was merely card tricks.
        
        Obama didn’t promise to ‘repair’ anything. He promised to reach out to the Muslim world. The fact it’s incapable of responding merely shows you to be the political huckster you are.
      - Samuel Moser
        
        BP your an idiot who just got completely schooled. You just called wigwag a politcal huckster when all your defense to his argument is Dem talking points? You have no answer to the well thought out and reasoned responses. Everyone not a Dem is a Neocon. Hence your just another emotional liberal bed wetter..with no counter argument.
      - bpuharic
        
        Given the fact the GOP is filled with right extremists, as objective evidence shows, “Dem” talking points are AKA ‘moderate politics’.
        
        You took a bunch of right wing talking points and SWORE!!!!!! Obama said that.
        
        Now go change your sheets.
teapartydoc

With generals named Fatty Sissy it’s easy to see why Egypt’s military has such a sorry record.