As protests in Egypt intensify, the U.S. State Department has ordered an evacuation of all non-essential U.S. government personnel and their families. The State Department is also facilitating departures for any American who needs help.
Governments around the world are watching the situation tensely. The U.S. is reviewing its development and military aid to Egypt, and Germany has warned the Egyptian government that if it continues to use violence against the protesters, Germany will reduce its aid as well. U.S. Senator John Kerry, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, published an op-ed in yesterday’s New York Times on what he sees as the requisite steps towards peace in Egypt.
Egypt’s economy has been hard-hit by the protests, since tourism and other critical economic functions have been halted, increasing the challenges facing the Egyptian people. For on-the-ground accounts, see New York Times op-eds by author Mansoura Ez-Eldin and columnist Nicholas Kristof.
