Egypt in the News on 3 November 2020
It’s a quiet morning for Egypt in the international press as reporters and editors zero in on the US election (and wonder whether they’re going to be conned into a “Dewey Defeats Truman” moment 72 years later — you may recognize this iconic image).
The one story that got our attention: US officials plan to downgrade the rank of military attachés posted to embassies in key allied countries, and Egypt is apparently on the list alongside the UK, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the Wall Street Journal reports in an exclusive. The move would see the military attaché gig “downgraded” to the level of colonel rather than it being held by a general. Attachés are being withdrawn entirely from some African countries. The downgrade from general officer level comes as the US looks to counter threats posed by China and Russia, the newspaper says, adding that “The attachés are a key part of U.S. outreach overseas, particularly in countries where the local military plays an outsize role in government and politics.”