Progressive Imperialism - The Arab Spring
FACT CHECK: Obama doesn’t think Egypt is an ally
Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012 | 12:09 p.m.
This week's storming of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo by an angry mob has sent U.S.-Egyptian relations to a new low, prompting President Barack Obama to say he doesn't see the two countries as allies.
But under U.S. law, they are.
Asked about Egypt in an interview late Wednesday with the Spanish-language network Telemundo, Obama said: "I don't think that we would consider them an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy."
The statement marks an abrupt change from decades when Washington and Cairo were ironclad partners in fighting terrorism, countering Iran's influence in the region and promoting Arab-Israeli peace.
Even after last year's revolution that toppled longtime Egyptian autocrat Hosni Mubarak, U.S. officials never suggested they were downgrading the relationship.
In fact, the Obama administration has continued with some $1.5 billion in mostly military aid to Egypt each year and gone to great lengths to ensure that the country's new Islamist government respects its longstanding peace treaty with Israel.
And while Obama may think Egypt isn't acting like an ally right now, by U.S. designation it remains one.
The United States designated Egypt as one of the six original "major non-NATO allies" in the 1980s. The status is now enjoyed by 15 U.S. "allies" in total, including Israel, Japan, Australia and South Korea.
Non-NATO allies are granted streamlined defense cooperation, making it easier for them to buy American military equipment and satisfy U.S. export control regulations.
Asked about Egypt's status, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland confirmed Thursday that the administration still considers it a major non-NATO ally of the United States.
Barack Obama on Telemundo 9/12/2012 then State Dept Clarification
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The uprising, inspired by the revolution in Tunisia, began on Jan. 25. After 18 days of massive public demonstrations against his rule, more than 800 people were thought to have been killed by the police. Mr. Mubarak lost the support of his military, which promised to protect the demonstrators. On Feb. 11, 2011, Mr. Mubarak resigned and turned power over to the military.
In April, prosecutors began questioning him about charges of possible corruption and other crimes. Mr. Mubarak was then ordered to stand trial.
In August, Mr. Mubarak was wheeled into a courtroom cage on a hospital bed to stand trial, charged with corruption and complicity in the killing of protestors. It was a sight that few Egyptians could have imagined as the year began, and that many had doubted they would ever see.
In June 2012, Mr. Mubarak, along with his former interior minister, was found guilty of being an accessory to murder for failing to stop the killing of unarmed demonstrators during the uprising in January 2011 that ended his rule. He was sentenced to life in prison. Hosni Mubarak
Progressives lead the way forward in the mideast
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