The Foreign Funding Crisis

The crisis over foreign funding for organizations working in Egypt has reached a new level after the decision to begin the trials of the 43 accused in this case on Feb. 26. However, the most important thing is the direct American intervention in the crisis by supplying teams of American lawyers who offer their support to some of the workers in these organizations during their trials. The coming visit of the prominent U.S. senator John McCain to Egypt will address this situation.

The investigation has already uncovered evidence of extensive funding for organizations with an eye toward a political role in Egypt, leading to a crisis in American-Egyptian relations because it exposed direct American attempts to intervene in Egyptian affairs to contain repercussions of the January Revolution and maintain American and Israeli interests.

The situation is much more dangerous than just supplying aid to organizations that work in Egypt, and therefore was a concerted American effort to contain the crisis [after Mubarak’s removal], as was the threat to cut off American aid. The essence of the crisis is the U.S.’s desire to penetrate Egyptian national security and ensure that Egyptian politics serve American and Israeli interests, not Egyptian interests.

If the previous regime had acquiesced to American intervention in civil society upon American support for the process of presidential succession in Egypt, then Egypt does not need this deal now. [Rather, it should be] working after the revolution to remain consistent with primary Egyptian interests in confronting any pressure, even from the United States.