CFR Daily News Brief Mubarak to Be Transferred to House Arrest

Daily News Brief August 22, 2013

Top of the Agenda: Mubarak to Be Transferred to House Arrest

Egypt's deposed leader Hosni Mubarak is expected to be freed from prison and placed under house arrest (AP) on Thursday after more than two years in detention. The development comes after a week of violence as Egypt's new army-backed rulers cracked down on supporters of the ousted president, the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi. In reaction, the European Union announced Wednesday it would suspend the export of weapons (al-Jazeera) and some goods out of concern they might be used for internal repression. The measure comes amid reports that Washington has quietly suspended aid to the country—a claim the White House has denied (Guardian). Mubarak had ruled Egypt for thirty years until he was overthrown in 2011 in a popular uprising.

Analysis

"I am under no illusion that cutting off $1.3 billion a year in annual U.S. military assistance would cause the Egyptian army to mend its ways; the rich Persian Gulf autocracies, such as Saudi Arabia, are providing more than enough money to offset America's contribution. But at the very least a suspension of U.S. military aid would lessen our complicity in whatever horrors befall Egypt next and heighten our credibility," writes CFR's Max Boot for the LA Times.

"Officials say the administration has already delivered the majority of the $1.3 billion in annual military aid to Egypt for the current fiscal year. A small amount could still be yanked because of the July 3 ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi or the bloody crackdown last week by the military-backed interim government. Those are the funds that are in question," writes Anne Gearan for the Washington Post.

"It is inconceivable that the Brotherhood will take any part in Egyptian politics in the near future. But how will Egypt accommodate the two or three hundreds of thousands of members of the organization in Egypt?" writes Wael Nawara for al-Monitor.