Sunday, April 20, 2014

Clampdown on US Collectors Won't Stop Egyptian Military Dictatorship's Tilt to Russia

If the State Department thinks sacrificing the interests of American collectors and small businesses with a pre-judged MOU will arrest the Egyptian military dictatorships's tilt to Russia, it's probably kidding itself.  CPO suspects that Egypt's generals want Russian weapons that come with no strings attached far more than any "legitimacy" the US Government's grant of a MOU would provide.  Control over antiquities has some nationalist appeal, but there is nothing like a Russian helicopter gunship if you are a military man.
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1 comment:

  1. Wayne G. SaylesApril 20, 2014 at 5:56 PM

    BINGO! The U.S. State Department seems hooked on the horns of a dilemma, torn between those who would support and those who would distance themselves from the Egyptian military regime — a Morton's Fork with no immediate solution. One can imagine that it's not an enviable position to be in.

    Regardless who ultimately controls Egypt or who bolsters the regime in power with money and arms, unilaterally carving up the U.S. trade in minor antiquities would be a hollow gesture to all but a few in Egypt or anywhere else. Offering up that lamb as political window dressing, knowing full well that it would accomplish nothing of consequence, would be unconscionable — though certainly not without precedent.

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