Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Amy Hawthorne is quoted by the Los Angeles Times on Amy Hawthorne responds to Senator Leahy’s latest comments on US aid to Egypt:
U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry, concerned about Cairo’s human rights record but eager to support its crackdown on terrorism, last week freed up the aid after holding up the money and 10 Apache helicopters for six months to build pressure for democratic reform. Though Congress can withhold the money, Kerry still plans to send Egypt the helicopters.Leahy, who has the leverage to hold the money indefinitely, said he wouldn’t release it “until we see convincing evidence the government is committed to the rule of law.”
Amy Hawthorne, an Egypt specialist at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, said Leahy had “set a very high bar.”