Egypt: The impact of the NGO case
Will lifting the travel ban on the NGO workers defuse the standoff that has plunged US-Egyptian ties into a crisis?
The US government has expressed relief that at least six US citizens and seven other foreigners charged with inciting unrest in Egypt have been allowed to leave the country.
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“It was a total overreaction. People were talking about this as if it was the Iran hostage crisis again which is absurd… That aid is a jobs programme for America.“ – Hussein Ibish, Middle East writer |
They are among 43 non-governmental organisation (NGO) workers who were arrested and charged with working without a license and receiving illegal foreign funds.
Will this move defuse the standoff that has plunged US-Egyptian ties into a crisis? Has Egypt’s military junta responded to US pressure? And what impact has this decision had on Egypt’s judicial independence?
Joining Inside Story to discuss these issues are: Heba Morayef, the Cairo representative for Human Rights Watch; Hussein Ibish, a senior research fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine and a writer on the Middle East; and Abdallah Schleifer, Professor Emeritus at the American University in Cairo and a veteran journalist.
Prominent among discussions between US and Egyptian officials was the fate of roughly $1.5bn in US aid appropriated for the fiscal year 2012. So what sort of financial help does Egypt get from the US?
- Most of the American aid goes to the Egyptian military – according to the US congressional research service report.
- Over the last 30 years, Egypt has been the second largest recipient of US foreign aid after Israel.
- In 2010 and 2011, $1.3bn went to strengthen Egyptian forces. The bulk of the military assistance goes to pay for Egypt’s purchases of military hardware, upgrades to existing equipment and maintenance and support contracts.
- Another $1.9mn went for training meant to bolster long-term U.S.-Egyptian military cooperation.
- The US grants Egypt about $250mn in economic assistance which is divided among several sectors, including health, education, economic development and democracy promotion.