Obama Caught in Egypt Response Between Allies From Saudi Arabia to Turkey
By Terry Atlas - Aug 19, 2013
U.S. regional allies such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey are backing opposite sides in the violent power struggle in Egypt, complicating U.S. diplomacy as the most populous Arab nation is torn by conflict.
In pressing Egypt’s interim government -- and the military leaders who hold the real power -- for political reconciliation with Islamist protesters, President Barack Obama is finding that U.S. influence is being challenged by financial and political support from Middle East countries pursuing their own stakes in Egypt’s future.
“What we’re seeing in the Middle East is a competition for power and influence among the key states that are wealthier and have more resources” and fewer internal problems than others in the region, said Brian Katulis, a foreign policy analyst at the Center for American Progress, a Washington policy research group.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have pledged billions of dollars in aid to the new Egyptian government. Qatar was a financial backer of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi’s administration, and Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced last week’s government crackdown on pro-Mursi protesters as a “massacre.”
“What Qatar and Turkey say is almost a 180-degree opposite of what the Emirates and the Saudis are saying publicly,” Katulis said.
more...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-18/obama-caught-between-polarized-allies-in-egypt-crisis.html