Obama allows Egypt to buy U.S. arms again, with a catch

Obama unfroze arms sales and deliveries to Egypt

(Image credit: Anthony Behar-Pool/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, President Obama lifted a ban on U.S. weapons sales to Egypt that he had imposed after Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, general turned president, overthrew President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. The unfreezing of arms deliveries and purchases is widely seen as driven by the U.S. need for allies in the tumultuous Middle East and as a win for Sisi, who has done little or nothing to address the concerns about Egypt's democracy that Obama cited when initiating the ban, says Peter Baker at The New York Times.

But "Obama's decision does include elements that may irritate Mr. Sisi," Baker adds:

Until now, Egypt and Israel were the only countries permitted to buy American arms by drawing credit from future foreign aid. Mr. Obama said he would halt that for Egypt, barring it from drawing in advance money expected in the 2018 fiscal year and beyond. He will also channel future military aid to four categories — counterterrorism, border security, maritime security, and Sinai security — rather than give Egypt broad latitude to decide how to use it. [New York Times]

That will, among other things, make it easier for the U.S. to cut off military aid in the future.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.