Does the Egyptian Unrest Have Any Ramifications for the United States?
Although things had quieted down over the last couple of days, and the situation in Egypt has (at points) seemed a bit less volatile it would be foolish to believe that we have heard the last of the turmoil.
The Egyptian unrest will have both immediate and potentially long range ramifications for the US and it would be foolish to brush the current upheaval under the carpet and hope for the best.
Indirect Oil Consequences While Egypt only provides a fraction of the oil imported to the US each year, its control over the Suez Canal is critical for the economic shipping of oil from the Middle East to the West.
With over four million barrels of oil and other petroleum products coming through the Canal each day, any restrictions could have a tremendous impact on gas prices, especially in the United States.
Four dollars per gallon may seem like a fond memory if the uprising in Egypt spreads to other oil producing nations such as Saudi Arabia and Libya.
US Support Questioned There is nothing new about the US supporting Egypt.
Relations between the countries have been especially positive since the 1978 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt with the US supplying funds and weapons.
Egypt has consistently taken positions in opposition to militant Islamist groups in support of US anti-terrorist initiatives.
However, even with that record, many question the caution with which the US is approaching the situation.
President Hosni Mubarak took office in 1981 and has maintained his position since, although there have been numerous allegations about the validity of the elections.
The country has been living in a state of emergency for over 40 years, prohibiting demonstrations and abolishing the constitution, and complaints of human rights violations are continuous.
How the United States responds to the issue, both immediately and in the long term will affect how the rest of the Middle East views American ambitions in the region.
Paying more at the pump, as the rest of the world does, is but a minor inconvenience when placed against the larger question of potentially interfering in sovereignty and public perception.
The Egyptian unrest will have both immediate and potentially long range ramifications for the US and it would be foolish to brush the current upheaval under the carpet and hope for the best.
Indirect Oil Consequences While Egypt only provides a fraction of the oil imported to the US each year, its control over the Suez Canal is critical for the economic shipping of oil from the Middle East to the West.
With over four million barrels of oil and other petroleum products coming through the Canal each day, any restrictions could have a tremendous impact on gas prices, especially in the United States.
Four dollars per gallon may seem like a fond memory if the uprising in Egypt spreads to other oil producing nations such as Saudi Arabia and Libya.
US Support Questioned There is nothing new about the US supporting Egypt.
Relations between the countries have been especially positive since the 1978 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt with the US supplying funds and weapons.
Egypt has consistently taken positions in opposition to militant Islamist groups in support of US anti-terrorist initiatives.
However, even with that record, many question the caution with which the US is approaching the situation.
President Hosni Mubarak took office in 1981 and has maintained his position since, although there have been numerous allegations about the validity of the elections.
The country has been living in a state of emergency for over 40 years, prohibiting demonstrations and abolishing the constitution, and complaints of human rights violations are continuous.
How the United States responds to the issue, both immediately and in the long term will affect how the rest of the Middle East views American ambitions in the region.
Paying more at the pump, as the rest of the world does, is but a minor inconvenience when placed against the larger question of potentially interfering in sovereignty and public perception.
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