The State Department announced on Wednesday that they will be cutting a large portion of military aid provided to Egypt; the cut was a surprise to Egyptian officials who believe that the move will sour what is already a turbulent relationship between the two countries, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The move is seen as a rebuke for the Egyptian military's slow pace in restoring democracy after the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi this past summer. Jen Psaki, a spokeswoman for the State Department, did not say how much of the $1.5 billion in aid would be suspended but did say that the U.S. would delay delivery of large-scale military systems until democracy is restored in the country, according to USA Today.
Anthony Cordesman, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told USA today that the decision to withhold aid may not have the effect the Obama administration is hoping for.
"You're basically putting pressure on the military when they're dealing with a major and increasingly violent crisis," Cordesman said. "We've seen in Pakistan and elsewhere what happens when we assume people are so dependent on U.S. said. You end up alienating the majority of the population."
Shadi Hamid, head of research at the Brookings Institution's Doha Center, explained to the Wall Street Journal that the decision to suspend aid will be received poorly by supporters of the ousted Muslim Brotherhood and by those Egyptians who oppose that group.
"What the U.S. is doing is the worst of both worlds right now," Hamid said. "They're not putting pressure on the military but they're still going to anger the Egyptian population and make it seem like they're punishing the military and suspending aid."
The United States will also be suspending some nonmilitary aid that is given directly to the military-run government although officials urge that they will not cut off support that went toward hospitals and other humanitarian efforts, according to the New York Times.
