More weapons for Egypt’s military dictatorship

Last week, the Biden administration approved 1.3 billion dollars in military aid for Egypt.

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has publicly declared that military assistance is not subject to conditions such as an improvement of the human rights situation in Egypt. This is usually the case with aid in such high amounts. Beforehand, the US has withheld assistance to Egypt to push the Egyptian regime to fulfill specific formal steps regarding human rights (specifically the release of political prisoners) or democracy.

Aljazeera reports that “a spokesperson for the US State Department later explained that those requirements were waived in the name of national security.”

The spokesperson said: “This decision is important to advancing regional peace and Egypt’s specific and ongoing contributions to US national security priorities, particularly to finalize a ceasefire agreement for Gaza, bring the hostages home, surge humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in need, and help bring an enduring end to the Israel-Hamas conflict.”

That the US is not feigning demands regarding human rights or democracy as leverage for US aid shows how drastic the current situation is for the US. The genocide in Gaza has almost reached 12 months. The US is doing everything in its power to uphold the Israeli state, which functions as the watchdog of Western Imperialism in the Middle East. If the US were to cut military aid to Israel, the IDF would not be able to continue its war on Gaza, spokespersons of the IDF have publicly stated. For Israel to maintain its hegemony, it is of essential importance for the USA to also uphold its satellite states across the Middle East. Egypt’s military dictatorship, due to its geopolitically and politically strategic position, comes center stage in this equation.

Imperialist states like Germany have also ceased the usual playing lip service to human rights and democracy when doing deals with Egypt in recent months. The West’s economic and political interests are the very foundation of the collaboration with dictatorships like Egypt.

In March, the European Union’s Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Egyptian military dictator Abdel Fattah el-Sisi signed an 8 billion dollar “aid package”.

The EU-Egypt aid package consists of grants and loans over the next three years and is formally set to expand Egypt-EU cooperation. A joint statement read: “The European Union recognizes Egypt as a reliable partner and its unique and vital geostrategic role as a pillar of security, moderation, and peace in the Mediterranean, Near East and African region.”

According to the European Commission, the deal aims to promote “democracy, fundamental freedoms, human rights, and gender equality.” What the deal is actually about becomes apparent in the fine print: keeping refugees out of the EU.

As AP reports:

“The EU will provide assistance to Egypt’s government to fortify its borders, especially with Libya, a major transit point for migrants fleeing poverty and conflicts in Africa and the Middle East. The 27-nation bloc will also support the government in hosting Sudanese who have fled nearly a year of fighting between rival generals in their country. Egypt received more than 460,000 Sudanese since April last year.”

While the EU currently supports the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the EU simultaneously fears a destabilization of the region that could lead to Palestinians fleeing to Europe. Israel continues to bomb Gaza, which has slaughtered over 40.000 Palestinian men, women, and children, while over one million people have sought refuge in Rafah on the border of Egypt.

The genocide in Gaza is not just a lucrative business for weapons manufacturers but also for the Egyptian state, which can use its geopolitical and political situation to realize deals with Western imperialists – this time without pesty remarks on the regime’s brutal crackdown on dissidents.