The debate in the US, long Egypt’s primary ally and donor, did not center on strengthening Egypt’s embattled institutions, but focused instead on how to ease the military out of power by withholding aid. Multilateral lenders like the International Monetary Fund were fixated on fiscal reforms such as reducing costly subsidies rather than shoring up a beleaguered economy.
但马失前蹄的并不只有对民主缺乏经验（也持怀疑态度的）穆兄会政客。埃及长期盟友和赞助人美国国内的争论的核心并非强化埃及陷入重围的制度，而是如何通过撤除援助让军队交还权力。IMF等多边贷款机构则关注减少埃及大规模补贴等财政改革，而不是巩固其四面楚歌的经济。