US-backed NGOs in Egypt played controversial role in many countries

A military delegation from Egypt is meeting with US officials in Washington this week. Some US lawmakers from the powerful Senate Arms Committee have said that $1.3 billion of US military aid to Egypt could be affected as tensions about the role of US-funded groups in Egypt remains high. The organizations at the center describe themselves as promoting democracy in the country. But their history across the globe points to a more complicated role.  For a closer look at these US-funded groups, we go to Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C. Requests for comment to the International Republican Institute were not returned by airtime. In a statement released in December after the raids on offices in Cairo, the IRI said it does provide information about democratic participation but it “does not provide monetary or material support to political parties or civil society groups in Egypt.”

To read the full statement from the IRI:
http://www.iri.org/news-events-press-center/news/iri-statement-regarding-raids-its-offices-egypt

To read Mark Weisbrot’s column, “International Republican Institute Not ‘Promoting Democracy”:
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/op-eds-&-columns/op-eds-&-columns/international-republican-institute-not-promoting-democracy