A Blank Check for Egypt's Dictator
The rationale for ending a freeze on aid is, to put it politely, naive
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The timing of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s meeting with Egypt’s newly elected president, Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, was unfortunate. What it says about the confusion that reigns over U.S. foreign policy in Egypt is worse. In Cairo, Kerry assured El-Sisi that U.S. military aid that had been frozen because of Egypt’s atrocious human-rights record would be released “very soon.” Less than 24 hours later, an Egyptian court sentenced three Al Jazeera journalists to jail for 7 to 10 years for doing their jobs.
Kerry’s reasoning for ending the freeze on aid is, to put it politely, naive. Despite his statement after the meeting, nothing suggests El-Sisi has begun to alter his human-rights policies.