Don't Look Now, But The Egyptian Army May Be A Little Reluctant To Give Up Power

If You Think The Palestinians Are A Hotbed Of Corruption--What About Egypt?
Apparently, the Egyptian army has found US military aid very profitable.

It is true that the US tries to keep an idea on things and prevent waste in the aid that it provides to the Egyptian army:

Yet with Washington giving Cairo $1.3 billion a year in military aid, the hospital episode shows that Egypt's for-profit military has sometimes found ways to use that aid to further its economic interests. A review of the aid program raises questions about a variety of ventures -- from the acquisition of a fleet of luxury Gulfstream jets to a company making Jeeps for commercial sale as well as for the army.

In the case of the Gulfstream fleet, it now consists of a total of nine jets, costing the American taxpayer $333 million--and the Pentagon continues to pay $10 million a year to service the planes.

This goes beyond merely a question of financial waste and corruption--there are real implications for the formation of a new government in Egypt:

Now, as the generals steer Egypt toward a new civilian government after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, those questions about the aid program echo a broader uneasiness, especially in the pro-democracy movement: will a military so deeply invested in a system that conferred great economic and political power be willing to let go? [emphasis added]

After all, since the aid started back in 1979 following the Camp David peace accord, Egypt has received approximately $40 billion, an obvious invitation to corruption--and the military doesn't even have to pocket the money in order to reap benefits:

Robert Springborg, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School who studies Egypt's military, said that by paying for expensive weapons systems, the aid program "has enabled the Egyptian military then to use resources it has for other purposes."

That, of course, is one of the criticisms made of US to Gaza: even assuming that someone the aid can be kept out of the hands of the terrorist group Hamas, that aid nevertheless relieves Hamas of some of its financial responsibility, freeing up funds for terrorism.

Nevertheless, the State Department defends the money spent on Egypt, saying that the aid:

assists Egypt in maintaining a strong and disciplined defense force, which is imperative at this time, and critical to ensuring Egypt's continued role as a regional leader able to act as a moderating influence [emphasis added].

Fortunately for the State Department, with the changes sweeping through the Middle East, we will be able to see how well this investment in Egypt is paying off.

Technorati Tag: Egypt.