The new Egypt

The Military Council is reading the public mood:  "Even the ceremony hinted at the frostier relations that have developed between the countries since the fall in February of President Hosni Mubarak, who for 30 years was one of America's most reliable allies.  There was little fanfare. The state news agency acknowledged Patterson toward the bottom of a list of 10 new envoys who also presented credentials at the ceremony. In contrast, Patterson's predecessor, Margaret Scobey, made her presentation in 2008 to Mubarak at a special ceremony at the presidential palace. This time, the envoy from the United States, which gives Egypt nearly $1.5 billion a year in military and other aid, was listed between envoys from Sudan and San Marino." (thanks Laleh)