The inter-Arab competition for influence in Egypt is very intense. At the center of this competition is the media outlet, Al Jazeera, which is controlled by Qatar. The Qataris supported President Morsi with almost $8 billion in aid. The Saudi Arabians were uncomfortable with Morsi, and since his overthrow have pledged, along with Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, roughly the same amount of money to Egypt. The money is crucial to the Egyptian economy, and the grants allow Egypt to avoid going to the IMF for aid which would almost certainly come with debilitating conditions. The competition will complicate efforts to forge a government of reconciliation. To make matters even more difficult, the Turkish press is reporting that Israel has attacked Russian-made anti-aircraft weaponry within Syria. Such reports have not surfaced in the US media.
One of the unspoken tragedies of the war in Afghanistan is that, no matter what the political outcome might be after the US leaves the country, the country will never be the same. The impact of a high-technology country like the US on a relatively low-technology country for such an extended period of time (the US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001). The US withdrawal of troops cannot be viewed also as a withdrawal of responsibility for what it done, both intentionally and inadvertently.
It’s Saturday night. Time for a great diversion.
World Politics News 
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