american democracy

The White House
announced plans on Monday to help "Arab Spring" countries swept by
revolutions with more than $800 million in economic aid, while
maintaining U.S. military aid to Egypt.

In his annual budget message to
Congress, President Barack Obama asked that military aid to Egypt be
kept at the level of recent years -- $1.3 billion -- despite a crisis
triggered by an Egyptian probe targeting American democracy activists.
The
proposals are part of Obama's budget request for fiscal year 2013,
which begins October 1. His requests need the approval of Congress,
where some lawmakers want to cut overseas spending to address U.S.
budget shortfalls and are particularly angry at Egypt.
Obama
proposed $51.6 billion in funding for the U.S. State Department and
foreign aid overall, when $8.2 billion in assistance to war zones is
included. The "core budget" for the category would increase by 1.6
percent, officials said.
Most of
the economic aid for the Arab Spring countries -- $770 million -- would
go to establish a new "Middle East and North Africa Incentive Fund," the
president said in his budget plan.
Analysts said it was difficult to tell how much of the proposal was actually new money.
"As
presented it's very difficult to determine if the Arab spring fund is
new wine in new bottles or old wine in new bottles," said John Norris, a
former U.S. foreign aid worker now at the Center for American Progress.
The
Middle East and North Africa Incentive fund "will provide incentives
for long-term economic, political, and trade reforms to countries in
transition -- and to countries prepared to make reforms proactively,"
the White House budget document said.
The proposal said this approach "expands our bilateral economic support in countries such as Tunisia and Yemen, where transitions are already underway."
It
would also build on other programs for the area, including up to $2
billion in regional Overseas Private Investment Corporation financing,
up to $1 billion in debt swaps for Egypt, and approximately $500 million
in existing funds re-allocated to respond to the region last year, the
budget document said.
It did not
say how the Middle East and North Africa Incentive Fund would be divided
between countries, or give any other details of the plan.
Egypt
has long been among the top recipients of U.S. aid, getting about $1.6
billion annually, mostly in military assistance. In fiscal 2012, $250
million of aid approved for Egypt was economic; $1.3 billion was
military and there was a $60 million "enterprise fund" approved by
Congress.
No U.S. assistance is
moving to Egypt at the moment, U.S. lawmakers and their aides said last
week. Some legislators favor cutting off aid to Egypt entirely if it
does not drop accusations against American democracy activists and lift a
travel ban on them.
Obama
continued the practice of putting proposed foreign assistance for war
zones in a separate account. This account, known as the "Overseas
Contingency Operations," includes $8.2 billion for the State Department
and foreign aid.
It includes $3.3 billion for Afghanistan,
$1 billion for Pakistan, and $4 billion for Iraq, where U.S. troops
have left the country but the State Department has picked up some of
their functions such as police training.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/13/us-usa-budget-foreign-idUSTRE81C1C920120213

Most Americans believe the U.S. should reduce or eliminate its more than $1 billion a year in financial aid to Egypt.

The issue is a hot topic as Egypt struggles in the aftermath of the
revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak’s government. More than dozen
American democracy and human rights activists face charges in Egypt and
are being forbidden from leaving the country. Another complication: The
Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement, may be poised to gain power
in Egypt.

In our national scientific telephone poll, we put this question to
Americans: “Do you believe that the U.S. should maintain, reduce, or
halt providing Egypt with more than $1 billion a year in U.S. financial
aid?”

In response, 14% said maintain the aid the $1 billion+ a year in aid,
44% said reduce the aid, and 33% said halt the aid altogether.

Along partisan lines, independents (43%) and Republicans (40%) most favored ending U.S. aid to Egypt.

The poll’s demographic crosstabs: Poll Position crosstabs – Egypt aid.

Poll Position’s scientific telephone survey of 1,242 registered
voters nationwide was conducted Feb. 12, 2012 and has a margin of error
of ±3%. Poll results are weighted to be a representative sampling of
all American adults.
http://pollposition.com/2012/02/14/77-cut-u-s-aid-to-egypt/


cheers obama

Here is what it is all about:

The Muslim Brotherhood is committed to the destruction of Israel with US dollars.

The Muslim Brotherhood is committed to the destruction of Israel without US dollars.

Why does the US give Egypt any money to maintain "peace" between Egypt and Israel?

Mystic Moon wrote:Here is what it is all about:

The Muslim Brotherhood is committed to the destruction of Israel with US dollars.

The Muslim Brotherhood is committed to the destruction of Israel without US dollars.

Why does the US give Egypt any money to maintain "peace" between Egypt and Israel?

Perhaps because the US also sponsor Israel militarily?

Mystic Moon wrote:Here is what it is all about:

The Muslim Brotherhood is committed to the destruction of Israel with US dollars.

The Muslim Brotherhood is committed to the destruction of Israel without US dollars.

Why does the US give Egypt any money to maintain "peace" between Egypt and Israel?

because up until Mubarek was removed there was a sort of piece between egypt and israel.

i wonder what the people who live in tent cities think of this they must be so proud just like the poor in britain we are soo proud we give millions to others in rich countries got to go am over whelmed

scrat wrote:

Perhaps because the US also sponsor Israel militarily?

Yes they do, but the point is that now the MB is threatening Israel if the money stops effectively blackmailing the US to not only keep the money coming but increase it too.

Flap Meister wrote:

because up until Mubarek was removed there was a sort of piece between egypt and israel.

Mubarak and the military kept the peace, but I am not sure how long it will last now and protected Christians in Egypt. Now the Christians are being killed and their churches and homes burnt. What will a very Christian nation such as the US do about it? I predict, they will do nothing.

Mystic Moon wrote:



Mubarak and the military kept the peace, but I am not sure how long it will last now and protected Christians in Egypt. Now the Christians are being killed and their churches and homes burnt. What will a very Christian nation such as the US do about it? I predict, they will do nothing.

considering the fact that obama was giving a speech in muslim majority Egypt where the copts are brutally persecuted by their muslim neighbours about how tolerant Islam is, i don't think much will happen

it appears that when Christians are massacred no one cares