16
September 9, 2014
commentary
Making a Difference
Making bad situations worse
in the Middle East
By Tony Magliano
The heart-wrenching tragedies throughout the Middle East are
not the United States’
fault, that is, at least not entirely. The fact
that many Sunni Muslims and Shiite
Muslims distrust each other, that the Allies established artificial national boundaries to suit their interests after World
War I, and that ruthless dictators past
and present have often oppressed their
people are major reasons why much of
the Middle East is broken and bleeding.
The U.S. has made several bad situations in the Middle East far worse. In
Egypt, according to the Congressional
Research Service, since 1987 the U.S. has
given that nation $1.3 billion per year in
military aid despite the fact that it