Egypt and the U.S.

Fault Lines investigates the US-Egypt relationship after the military coup of July 3, 2013.

After a brief experiment with civilian democracy, Egypt reverted back to military rule on July 3, 2013. Egypt’s first civilian president Mohamed Morsi was ousted days after nationwide mass protests on June 30, when millions of people demanded Morsi step down. The military used the protests to depose Morsi and return to power.

The events in Egypt this summer have left the country deeply polarized between those in favor of the military and others bitterly opposed. State and private media have portrayed members and supporters of the Muslim brotherhood as terrorists.  Since then, well over a thousand people have been killed and nearly two thousand arrested. Violence continues in the streets of Egypt – mostly against Brotherhood supporters, but there’s also been a spate of sectarian violence against churches as well as deadly attacks against security forces. Emergency law is back and a sense of fear prevails.

Egypt is the second largest recipient of US military aid – roughly $1.3 billion a year. Since 1979 when Egypt signed the Camp David peace accords with Israel, Egypt has been one of Washington's closest and most important allies. On the surface, recent events seem to have thrown the US-Egypt relationship into a crisis.

The Obama administration has refused to describe what's happened in Egypt as a military coup, because doing so would necessitate suspending aid to Egypt. But after the height of the violence this summer, President Obama declared that "traditional cooperation cannot continue as usual."

Fault Lines goes inside the US Egypt relationship to investigate whether the 35 year alliance will endure, despite the tense rhetoric. Fault Lines speaks to military men from both Egypt and the US as well as insiders from the shadowy world of lobbyists who've been paid by Egypt to represent their interests in Washington.

With Egypt in flux, how stable is the relationship between Egypt and the US? Might a new policy emerge or is this business as usual?