Keep Our Hands Clean

Tim Stanley writes:

An interesting note on the situation in Egypt. In June, the US quietly approved an aid grant for Egypt's military of $1.3 billion. One month later, President Morsi was chased out of office by the army. That either means that a) America was propping up a Islamist dictator or b) it just financed a military coup.

The aid was given in spite of the administration’s concerns about Morsi’s growing authoritarianism. In a May 9 memo, Secretary of State John Kerry wrote, “We are not satisfied with the extent of Egypt's progress and are pressing for a more inclusive democratic process and the strengthening of key democratic institutions.” 

Despite this, the military aid went ahead. In another twist, it seems that US law insists that military aid be restricted in countries where a coup has just taken place. So what will happen to that $1.3 billion just one month after it was authorized? Given that it was presumably offered in order to buy influence within the Egyptian military, it would be odd now to retract it.

The sorry saga in Egypt is another reminder of the danger to the West of getting too entwined in the bloody politics of the Arab region. President Obama, to his credit, has publicly stated that the US remains neutral in Egypt – although at least one Egyptian opposition group accuses him of supporting Morsi. Either way, the complicated legacy of the Arab Spring suggests that it’s difficult to predict winners and unwise to back any. 

Syria’s revolution has become a civil war claiming tens of thousands of lives, while parts of the country succumb to Sharia. Libya has countless problems with strikes, militias and protests, and a US ambassador was butchered there. Yemen is still yearning for stability.

Egypt has witnessed attacks on religious minorities, police brutality and even gang rape. Morsi enjoyed a supposed mandate from the people but now the people cheer as the military replace him. The Arab Spring has become a long and bitter winter.

The lesson for the West: as far as possible we should keep our hands clean. There’s no good reason why the US was financing Egypt’s military and the case for backing the Syrian rebels is now hopelessly compromised.

Let’s try to perfect running our own countries before we attempt to do the job for others.