"But the most disingenuous part of the entire aid-suspension debate
revolves around the “masses” that the Obama administration speaks of in
such glowing terms. Nearly all American aid remains attached to the most
unaccountable force in the political life of Egyptians at a time when
there are growing calls in Cairo by the protest movement to cut all
American aid to Egypt.
By financing the armed forces to the tune of $1.3 billion per year, the
United States government sends a bipartisan message that its support
lies where it invests its money — much of which actually never reaches
Cairo but is channeled back to the American arms industry in states like
Ohio, where components for M1A1 Abrams tanks and other military
hardware are produced. Thus, cutting American aid would effectively trim
the subsidy Washington provides to these domestic industries. Those
lawmakers defending aid to Egypt aren’t being realists; they’re
protecting their districts, constituents, and the corporations that
donate to re-election campaigns.
While the voices of Egyptians and the mobilized masses seem to matter so
much when popularly impeaching an elected president or a longtime
dictator, the voice of those same masses when it comes to calls for
cutting off American aid seem to resonate much less in Washington —
affirming many Egyptians’ belief that America has double standards and
damaging the United States’ image at a crucial moment in Egypt’s history."
