All the more reason not to send them aid!

The knee-jerk reaction to our aid package for Egypt is that since they attacked our embassy, we should cut them off and walk away.

In an earlier post in the referenced topic, I suggested that what we've had with Egypt is something akin to a marriage. With any marriage there are good times and bad.

Of course that analogy is far from perfect but it does help us understand some aspects of the relationship and why we should strive to be understanding; as we would be understanding of our spouse.

But then there is the real-politic of the Camp David accords and aid, in this case makes perfect sense.

I mean the tacit quid pro quo of our agreement is that if they organize to attack Israel, the money stops, all the parts to keep the stuff you got stops, we know what you have, Israel will know what you have and we've given them as good if not better (with our aid to Israel) and we're on the hook to kick ass if you attack Israel. Not attacking Israel, our primary and overriding goal in this relationship, is the only course of action and they can't help but see it.

But what they have not really seen is the Miracle that we helped create... which was our part in their peaceful revolution.

See, we got to build understanding with the military folks through training (a good part of the aid) and our military manufacturers get to create jobs here because they're selling that stuff there.

The understanding that came from training of their military, I'll point out, is one of the main reasons we had the Miracle of Tahrir Square. Think what is going on with Syria (and their weapons come from the Russians) or even what happened in China after Tienanmen Square in 1990 or so.

To me that is a true miracle and evidence of the higher power that we embrace ... that is hopefully birthing freedom.

The point is that we've had good, positive relations with the Egyptians for 30+ years. It was easy when they were ruled by a military dictator and the people there were submissive.

And as we all know, if a spouse is in fear and submissive as a result, once they conquer that fear, there is a deficit of trust that could cause a breakup. Nations are not like marriages in this sense but the dynamics of what is transpiring is such that we need to recognize the Egyptian's need for 'space' at this time.

They still associate us with the dictatorship, which is to say we were the friend - enabling friend of their brutal husband. They don't quite trust us ... and they won't until they see it was our training of their military that put the military on the sideline allowing them the miracle of an almost violence-free revolution. What a blessing and gift ... I trust they will see it.

pubby

Source: Egypt