John Bolton weighs in on the Wall Street Journal opinion page about why the US should support the Egyptian military crackdown in preference to Muslim Brotherhood government --
Third, for purely economic reasons, the Suez Canal must remain open. Annually, some 14% of global shipping and 30% of oil supplies pass through the canal. The Brotherhood is far more susceptible to suicidal impulses if it means harming the West. Egypt's military does not prize martyrdom.
The last time Suez Canal passage led to war, it was after a military coup, repression of the Muslim Brotherhood, and a general -- Gamal Nasser -- riding a wave of populism to a confrontation with Israel and the West. Bolton must know about the 1956 Suez Crisis but apparently the Green Menace is having some effect on his ability to bring it to bear in this case.
Third, for purely economic reasons, the Suez Canal must remain open. Annually, some 14% of global shipping and 30% of oil supplies pass through the canal. The Brotherhood is far more susceptible to suicidal impulses if it means harming the West. Egypt's military does not prize martyrdom.
The last time Suez Canal passage led to war, it was after a military coup, repression of the Muslim Brotherhood, and a general -- Gamal Nasser -- riding a wave of populism to a confrontation with Israel and the West. Bolton must know about the 1956 Suez Crisis but apparently the Green Menace is having some effect on his ability to bring it to bear in this case.