Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Why is the Egyptian turmoil of so much concern to the US?


Here is an evaluation of the outrage that is happening in Egypt and what's in store for the United States, according to a report from the USA Today.
Military and Suez Canal: Being the first Arab country to join the peace treaty with Israel in 1979, Egypt has played a very important role in maintaining peace in the Middle East. The country has been a strong ally of the US in the intelligence and military efforts, according to American University professor Mustafa Aksakal.
Having the 10th largest military in the world, Egypt controls the Suez Canal--an important artificial sea-level waterway that connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea--making it possible to connect Asia and Europe, and eventually the US, without having to circumnavigate Africa. This is where the black gold from oil-producing countries passes through, Professor Samer Shehata of Georgetown University explained.
Revolution in the Middle East region: The analysts believe that the outrage will not sweep the region like in Saudi Arabia or other nations in the Persian Gulf. However, they warned that anything can happen. No one predicted the revolution in Tunisia.
They also agreed that each country in the Middle East has a special character and sporadic flames will not affect the whole region. An important point was raised with the lower economic and government structure of Egypt than other Gulf States, which makes protests unlikely to happen in the rich Arab states.
A new Egypt-US relations: The analysts said that Mubarak regime is now a history. A more democratic Egypt will mean that the US has to take into consideration a wider set of views including those that promote the improvement of the lives of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Shehata said, "It depends on who comes next. I don't believe that we're seeing a new danger from Islamist politics or radical Muslim movements."
Potential for oil price hike and problems with supply: The current uprising has already caused an increase in oil prices. The analysts are not certain how this will play out in the succeeding months.
Details of this story in this link.

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