EGYPT’S NEIGHBORS VIE FOR INFLUENCE...
Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates have agreed to give $8 billion in cash and loans to the Egyptian government after the military intervened to remove President Mohammed Morsi from power. It is a sign of the broader power struggle being waged by neighboring countries, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE backing the old secular order, and Turkey, Qatar, and others supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. Qatar gave nearly $8 billion in aid to the Morsi government when it was in power, and Turkey provided nearly $2 billion in loans. “This is clearly a setback for the ideology that Qatar and Turkey support and encourage. If political Islam was a stock, it would have gone down dramatically,” an Arab official is quoted as saying in the New York Times. (The New York Times, July 9, 2013)
OUTSIDE POWERS INFLUENCE THE SYRIAN REVOLUTION...
A shipment of advanced, anti-ship Yakhont cruise missiles delivered to Syria by Russia was attacked this month by Israeli fighters near Latakia. This is the fourth documented air attack against targets in Syria by Israel this year. Israel views the advanced missiles being shipped to Syria by Iran and Russia as a threat to its naval forces, particularly if they wind up in the hands of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia allied to Syria and supported by Iran. In January, Israel carried out an airstrike on a weapons convoy carrying Russian-made surface-to-air missiles, followed in May by two days of airstrikes on Iranian-origin surface-to-surface missiles. (The New York Times, July 13, 2013)
ISTIQLAL PARTY TO QUIT MOROCCAN COALITION
Six cabinet ministers from the junior party in Morocco’s governing coalition have announced their resignations over a plan to de-regulate the prices of some basic consumer goods. Istiqlal is part of the coalition led by the Islamist Justice and Development party (PJD). The government wants to end food and fuel subsidies in order to improve Morocco’s economic situation. Istiqlal spokesman Adil Benhamza told reporters “Our ministers will submit their resignations to the prime minister on Tuesday, we are no longer members of this coalition,” but it was unclear whether Morocco’s king would accept the six resignations, including the minister of finance. (Reuters, July 9, 2013)
EGYPT ON EDGE AFTER MORSI OUSTER
Fifty-one Morsi supporters were killed by the Egyptian army during demonstrations in Cairo in July. Defense minister General Abdel Fatah al-Sissi insisted the army’s actions were in line with the will of the people and new democratic elections will not exclude any political parties from the process. Meanwhile, a provisional government is being organized, including former veteran of the World Bank, Ahmed Galal as finance minister, and former ambassador to the United States, Nabil Fahmy as foreign minister. In addition, the assets of 14 top Brotherhood officials have been frozen by the judiciary. (The Washington Post, July 17, 2013)