Breaking with its normal attributes, the U.S. Congressional Research Service handed out to legislators, "hot off the press", a summary of Egypt-U.S. relations dated 28 January, that is, from the very outset of the Egyptian mass protests.

It transpires that Washington provides annually:
– 250 million US dollars for economic aid.
– 1 300 million US dollars for military aid.
– 2 million US dollars to sustain the political change over.
To which must be added the funds for special operations.

In fact, the best part of this aid is not intended to reach the Egyptian people; it is meant to provide the Mubarak regime with the means to close the border with the Palestinian Territories in order to seal Gaza. Ultimately, the aid earmarked for Egypt actually serves to bolster Israel’s policies.

Also to be noted is that the Congressional Research Service interprets the last constitutional amendments as paving the way for the power transition from Mubarak to his son. Thanks to a perfectly padlocked system, it was anticipated that Gamal would be elected president and would run the country under the de facto rule of General Omar Suleiman.

===

Egypt : Background and U.S. Relations, by Jeremy M. Sharp, Congressional Research Service, 28 January 2011 (360 Ko, 29 p.).