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Egypt Is Taking U.S. Money and Running
(Washington Post) Editorial - It has been five weeks since the Obama administration granted Egypt its full $1.3 billion in annual military aid despite its government's failure to meet conditions set by Congress for advancing democracy. In granting a waiver on national security grounds, administration officials argued that continuing the funding was more likely to encourage cooperation with the U.S. and progress on human rights than a cutoff would. As it turns out, U.S.-Egyptian relations and the military's treatment of civil society have deteriorated since the waiver was issued March 23. The government has begun pressing a new law on civil society groups that would stop all foreign funding for Egyptian NGOs, prohibit them from engaging in any work related to democratic politics and force many existing organizations to close. In addition, since the waiver was issued, Egypt's government-owned press, which is controlled by the military's intelligence agency, has continued a toxic campaign of anti-Americanism.