EGYPT.

MORE CLASHES BETWEEN SECURITY

FORCES AND PROFESTERS BACKING

OUSTED PRESIDENT MOMENHAMED MOR.

PAUL STEINHAUSER FINDS OUT

AMERICANS FAVOR A CAUTIOUS

APPROACH.

>> HEY, FRED.

THE U.S. SHOULD STEER CLEAR OF

THE UNREST IN EGYPT.

THAT SEEMS TO BE THE MESSAGE

FROM THE MOST RECENT POLLING.

MORE THAN THREE-QUARTERS OF

AMERICANS QUESTIONED SAID THAT

WASHINGTON SHOULD MOSTLY STAY

OUT OF THE EVENTS IN EGYPT AND 6

IN 10 SAID U.S. AID TO EGYPT

SHOULD BE REDUCED OR ELIMINATED.

THE POLL WAS CONDUCTED LAST

MONTH WELL BEFORE THIS WEEK'S

OUTBURST OF NEW VIOLENCE.

A PEW RESEARCH CENTER SURVEY

CONDUCTED AROUND THE SAME TIME

FOUND A DROP IN THE NUMBER OF

PEOPLE WHO SAID THE UNREST IN

EGYPT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO

AMERICAN INTERESTS.

FRED?

>> THANKS SO MUCH, PAUL

STEINHAUSER.

SO THOSE POLLS SHOW MOST

AMERICANS FAVOR A CAUTIOUS

APPROACH, BUT THE ESCALATION OF

VIOLENCE ALSO MEANS THE WHITE

HOUSE IS FINDING ITSELF WITH

FEWER OPTIONS IN ITS MILITARY

ALLIANCE WITH EGYPT.

THE BIGGEST MOVE SO FAR HAS BEEN

THE CANCELING OF JOINT MILITARY

EXERCISES SCHEDULED FOR NEXT

MONTH.

JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS IS CNN'S

ANALYST AND A FORMER COMMANDER.

EXPLAIN THIS RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN THE U.S. AND EGYPT.

WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT

STRATEGICALLY?

>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, IT'S IN

THE VERY, VERY VOLATILE

OBVIOUSLY VERY IMPORTANT MIDDLE

EAST.

THE SUEZ CANAL RUNS RIGHT

THROUGH EGYPT AND IN ORDER FOR

OIL TO TRANSIT, COMMERCE TO

TRANSIT, YOU NEED TO HAVE ACCESS

TO THE SUEZ CANAL.

SO THE UNITED STATES PRESENCE IN

THAT REGION IS INCREDIBLY

IMPORTANT.

ALSO ISRAEL IS A NEIGHBOR OF

EGYPT.

OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST

THREE DECADES, ISRAEL AND EGYPT

HAVE FIGURED OUT HOW TO

COOPERATE AND GET ALONG.

THAT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND

IT'S BEEN THE ANCHOR OF OUR

STABILITY IN THE REGION FOR THAT

AMOUNT OF TIME.

THE ACTUAL MILITARY EXERCISES

THAT HAVE BEEN IN PLACE WITH

EGYPT SINCE 1980 FOLLOWED THE

CAMP DAVID ACCORDS THAT WERE IN

PLACE AND HAVE BEEN AN ONGOING

EXERCISE SERIES WITH NOT ONLY

THE EGYPTIAN MILITARY BUT OTHER

FRIENDS AND ALLIES IN THE REGION

AND HAVE BEEN QUITE SUCCESSFUL

IN TERMS OF ESTABLISHING FORMS

OF MILITARY INTEROPERABILITY,

THAT MEANS HOW DO YOU WORK

TOGETHER BOTH AT THE HIGHEST

STRATEGIC LEVELS AND THEN FIELD

TRAINING EXERCISE AT THE VERY

LOWEST LEVELS, AND THOSE ARE

TRUST-BUILDING EXERCISES.

WE FIGURE OUT HOW THEY WORK,

THEY FIGURE OUT HOW WE WORK, AND

OUR MILITARY EQUIPMENT, OUR

TRAINING, OUR EDUCATION, AND OUR

DOCTRINE LOOK VERY, VERY MUCH

THE SAME.

IT'S AN IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP

THAT WE CAN'T ABANDON.

NOW, THE FACT THAT THE PRESIDENT

HAS CANCELED BRIGHT STAR, WHICH

IS THE NAME OF THE EXERCISE, FOR

THIS YEAR IS NOT A BIG DEAL.

HE'LL BE WABL TO OVERCOME THAT,

BUT I DO THINK THE AID WE

PROVIDE EGYPT IS IMPORTANT AND

WE NEED TO HOLD ONTO THAT, NOT

DECLARE THAT WE'RE GOING TO

WITHDRAW IT.

>> WHAT IF IT WERE TO BE

TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED, NOT

NECESSARILY ENDED THROUGHOUT,

BUT SUSPENDED AS A RESULT OF THE

CURRENT TURMOIL?

>> WELL, ABSOLUTELY.

I MEAN, YOU COULD SUSPEND IT AND

SAY, LOOK, HERE IS THE QUID PRO

QUO.

YOU DO THIS, WE'LL THEN

REINSTATE.

THERE COULD ALSO BE SOME --

WHAT'S KNOWN AS EASTERLY

CIVILIAN OR COMMERCIAL AID THAT

COULD TAKE PLACE THROUGH USAID.

THAT'S NOT AS SIGNIFICANT IN

TERMS OF ITS SIZE AND ITS

ABILITY TO IMPACT WHAT'S GOING

ON.

WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN RIGHT NOW

CLEARLY, FRED, IS THE VIOLENCE

HAS TO SUBSIDE SO THE ONLY WAY

THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IS

THROUGH SOME TYPE OF MILITARY

ACTION.

DIPLOMACY AT THIS POINT HAS A

VERY STRONG MILITARY FLAVOR.

>> WHAT DO YOU MEAN MILITARY

ACTION?

MEANING U.S. MILITARY

INVOLVEMENT IN THE CRISIS IN

TRYING TO QUIET THINGS DOWN?

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?

>> NOT AT ALL.

WHAT I MEAN IS THOSE

RELATIONSHIPS ARE IN PLACE.

THEY'RE VERY STRONG.

THEY'RE VERY BROAD.

THEY'RE VERY RICH IN TERMS OF

THEIR CULTURE AND HISTORY.

THE UNITED STATES DOES HAVE

INFLUENCE, BUT THEY ARE LOSING

THAT INFLUENCE, AND THE KEY

INFLUENCE THEY HAVE RIGHT NOW IS

THAT OUR MILITARIES COOPERATE

AND THEY KNOW EACH OTHER AWFULLY

WELL.

WHAT WE SHOULD DO IMMEDIATELY IS

WE SHOULD HAVE A VERY OPEN

COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE

EGYPTIANS.

I'M CONFIDENT WE ARE, AND MOST

OF THOSE ARE PROBABLY BACK

CHANNEL COMES AND WE NEED TO GE

THE MILITARY TO ALTER THEIR

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT.

THEY SHOULD BE ARMS BUT THEY

SHOULD HAVE STRICT ENGAGEMENT

CRITERIA.

THEY SHOULD NOT BE SHOOTING INTO

THE CROWDS.

THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD IS NOT A

LARGE, SIGNIFICANT THREAT.

IT'S LOSING ITS RELEVANCE.

THE PEOPLE DON'T WANT THEM THERE

ANYMORE.

THEY'VE LOST THEIR -- ANY FORM

OF LEGITIMACY, AND IT CAN

SUBSIDE IF THE MILITARY CAN

LEARN TO ACT WITH A LITTLE MORE

RESTRAINT, WHICH IT HAS NOT YET

DEMONSTRATED.

THAT WILL HAPPEN --

>> BUT IN A LARGE PART IT'S

CREATED A REAL PROBLEM FOR THE

U.S. TO EVEN OFFER OR INITIATE

DIALOGUE WITH WHOM?

I MEAN, THE LEADERSHIP IS

NONEXISTENT RIGHT NOW, OR AT

LEAST A CLEAR FORM OF LEADERSHIP

IS NONEXISTENT.

>> WELL, THERE'S NO FORM OF

LEADERSHIP THAT'S VIABLE IN

TERMS OF THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD

DIRECTING ACTIVITIES BECAUSE

WHAT YOU HAVE IS A LOT OF LOCAL

VIOLENCE THAT'S TAKING PLACE AND

THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD HAS SAID

THIS IS DISASSOCIATED FROM OUR

AFFILIA

AFFILIATIONS.

THESE ARE NOT OUR FOLKS.

WE'RE A PEACEFUL GROUP.

CLEARLY, THAT'S NOT THE CASE.

>> ALL RIGHT.

>> MILITARY, HOWEVER, IS IN