US Arms Industry Would Lose Big from Egypt Aid Cut-Off

[unhappycamper]

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/08/17-0



An Egyptian army M1 Abrams tank placed near Tahrir Square during the 2011 Egyptian protests.

US Arms Industry Would Lose Big from Egypt Aid Cut-Off
by Thalif Deen
Published on Saturday, August 17, 2013 by Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS- The United States, which has refused to cut off its hefty 1.3 billion dollars in annual military aid to Egypt, continues to argue that depriving arms to the 438,500-strong security forces will only “destabilise” the crisis-ridden country.

There is perhaps a more significant – but undisclosed – reason for sustaining military aid flows to Egypt: protecting U.S. defence contractors.

Virtually all – or an overwhelming proportion – of the 1.3 billion dollars granted under Foreign Military Financing (FMF) is plowed back into the U.S. economy, specifically into the U.S. defence industry.

William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Project at the Centre for International Policy (CIP), told IPS U.S. President Barack Obama’s refusal to cut-off military aid to Egypt while U.S. weapons are being used to murder protesters is “unconscionable”.



unhappycamper comment: And this is the primary reason we continue to send money to Egypt.

[tom_kelly]

1. But

what about that peace prize thing.

[truebluegreen]

2. The business of Amurca is Business!

Especially the arms business.

[Divernan]

3. Newly renamed: Now it's the Nobel Piece Prize, as in blow them to pieces

How many other such dark and dirty line item entries are there in the voluminous, too-big-to-read, annual U.S. budget? $1.3 BILLION to Egypt for "military aid"?

This folks, is what is known as CORPORATE WELFARE.

Oh why the hell not? I mean, we're all living the good life here in the states. We've got billions to burn! Quit your whining about student loan interest rates and debt, and sub-par minimum wages, and profiteering health insurance companies, and crumbling bridges, roads and infrastructure in general.

So what if pension plans have been gutted, or millions of Americans cannot afford to go to the dentist or get prescription eyeglasses, or banks are pushing foreclosures and then snapping up the homes for pennies on the dollars to sell as rental properties. The American Dream is dead and we should all just get over it!

Just shut up, eat what little genetically modified food you can afford, drink your fracking-contaminated water, and get back to your part-time, no benefits, less than minimum wage job.

Would you like fries with that?

[Civilization2]

6. Hear, hear! You paint a vivid portrait of what we have allowed the few to impose on the many,.

1% are in control, and taking more and more for themselves, at the expense of everyone and everything else.

The shortsighted greed of a few is destroying the planet, making life worse for everyone, and wasting what belongs to all of us for ego and avarice. It should be no surprise the sociopaths rise to power, they have nothing like morals or empathy to keep them grounded, they simply take and take. The truly sad part is, so many people support and defend them, seemingly because they wish they themselves where more like them. I am not sure what is worse.

[KG]

4. c'mon, the egyptians using u.s. arms to slaughter their citizens is no reason not to give them more.

[Civilization2]

5. So, "foreign aid" is actually CORPORATE WELFARE !!! Color me surprised,.

"Virtually all – or an overwhelming proportion – of the 1.3 billion dollars granted under Foreign Military Financing (FMF) is plowed back into the U.S. economy, specifically into the U.S. defense industry. "

Tax dollars to arms manufacturers, who spread murder and brutality around the globe, is good business, so much so that we have to lie about the meanings of words like "coup",. however programs of actual social uplift are bad, because the rethuglicans don't like them, and we just simply must play nice with the opposition,. since they are always so considerate of our positions when they hold the power,. . what a joke of a system this is. Welcome to corporate-fascism.