(Washington Times) Joel Mowbray - For the first time in a generation, Egypt is in strategic play. It could either stay a U.S. strategic partner and maintain peace with Israel, or it could join an Islamist axis with Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt appears to be playing hardball, seemingly looking to extract additional concessions in exchange for continued loyalty. Any aid package that Congress passes will almost certainly require that Egypt complete the underground wall to close off the myriad tunnels as well as continue cooperating with the U.S. and Israel on other anti-smuggling activities. Egyptian military access to U.S. weaponry also could be tied to fulfillment of obligations under the Camp David Accords and adhering to agreements to supply natural gas to Israel. Debt forgiveness, loan guarantees and market access could be conditioned on Egypt adhering to existing agreements and cooperating on security efforts against not just Hamas, but also Iran and other terrorist entities. What's clear is that Egypt cannot be trusted simply to remain a U.S. ally. Too much anti-Semitic and anti-American sentiment has been building over the years. The writer is an adjunct fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
2011-06-03 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive