When the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate won Egypt’s presidential elections, the comforting theory pronounced by diplomats and pundits worldwide was that power would force the Brotherhood to moderate its views: Once in power, its first priority would have to be rescuing Egypt’s shattered economy, and this would force it to avoid radical steps liable to antagonize Western donors.
That power isn’t moderating the Brotherhood is crystal clear already: Within two months of taking office, President Mohamed Morsi had already blatantly violated the cardinal principle of the peace treaty with Israel–the demilitarization of Sinai–by sending tanks into the area near the Israeli border without first obtaining Israel’s permission. But now it turns out the Brotherhood also doesn’t care about the economy. It’s only Morsi’s third month in office, and he is already negotiating to spend hundreds of millions of dollars he doesn’t have on something that won’t help the economy one whit: two state-of-the-art submarines from Germany.
The price tag for a new German submarine is about $510 million, meaning two would cost over $1 billion. Thus Morsi is planning to waste more than a fifth of the $4.8 billion loan he just requested from the International Monetary Fund not on helping Egypt’s economy–the ostensible purpose for which he sought the money–but on acquiring expensive military equipment for which Egypt has no conceivable need: It isn’t currently facing a maritime threat from any country or terrorist organization, nor is there reason to think it will in the future.
Or to put it another way, Morsi plans to blow the entirety of the $1 billion debt relief package he is now negotiating with Washington on military hardware rather than helping Egypt’s economy.
The first obvious conclusion from this fact is that neither Washington nor the IMF should approve the requested aid. There might be valid reasons for giving Egypt aid to rebuild its economy. But there are none at all for giving it money to purchase state-of-the-art submarines.
Far more worrying, however, is the issue of why Egypt even wants these subs–because the only possible purpose they could serve is for use against Israel.
Granted, the two countries are officially at peace. But Egypt’s army has continued to view Israel as its principal enemy, and to train accordingly, throughout the decades since the treaty was signed in 1979. Moreover, Israel is the only country in the region that has a state-of-the-art submarine force itself: It recently took possession of its fourth German-built sub, and has two more on order. Taken together, those two facts make it hard to envision any other purpose an Egyptian submarine fleet could rationally serve.
And when you add in Morsi’s move to remilitarize Sinai, the final conclusion from the submarine deal becomes inescapable: Morsi’s top priority isn’t rehabilitating Egypt’s economy, but preparing for war with Israel.
When it became apparent the Muslim Brotherhood would control the Egyptian government, several normally sensible Commentary writers said the Brotherhood would now be responsible for Egypt's economy and if it floundered, would face the voeters' wrath. Nonsense. n That was more wishful thinking, the kind present since the ill-named ''Arab Spring.'' The Brotherhood is now in control of the Army and will use it to surpress dissent as did the Mubarak regime, only more ruthlessly. n Egypt will soon be seen as having become an Islamic Republic, about as moderate as Iran. I don't understand how so many intelligent conservatives in so many places could have gotten it all wrong about the ''Arab Spring.'' To most of us without advanced degrees, it was always a sham. Samuel Huntington was right. Islam is out of joint with the Modern World and until it somehow reforms there will be a widespread ''Clash of Civilizations.''
All Muslim, Arab and North African leaders are the same this way. The first thing they do is erect a giant 'army' in tribute to their own greatness. Even if they get these subs they'll sit in port tied up 95% of the time since they won't have trained crews, maintenance or spare parts.
I agree – even if Egypt ever tried to use them in a war, they would likely be blown up before they ever saw any serious action. $1 billion of US taxpayer money, literally down the drain.
Maybe he wants them as stealth, floating clitoridectomy clinics.
There is absolutely no reason Western countries should be feeding Egypt's desire for more advanced weaponry. That goes not just for Germany's plan to sell advanced submarines, but the US which continues to provide advanced fighters, tanks, and ships – much of it covered by the continuing "military assistance" component of the aid package it's provided since 1979. n nAgainst who, one is entitled to ask, is all this armament intended? Certainly not Libya. Egypt, which could have dealt with Libya by itself, didn't lift a finger during the conflict. Indeed, it prevent the use of Egyptian fields for combat aircraft. Who then, Greece? Turkey? Everyone knows. It's Israel. How much more outrageous is it that the US, which has announced a scaled back exercise with Israel for October, is going to be conducting both defensive and OFFENSIVE exercises with Egypt. Clearly, in the name of "maintaining relations" with Egypt's military the Administration is showing the depth of their naivety. That they claim to have "experience" in foreign affairs compared to Romney is truly laughable.
How ridiculous is this article??? This is all lies. If any of you would care to go look at this information at any other site, you would understand that this deal was actually signed in Nov 2011…That is before Morsi even ran for president. Thats when the country's military was in control of everything. They were the ones that made the deal and financed it from the military's own budget…Shame on you for lying, and shame on you readers for being so ignorant as to attack without having any previous knowledge.