U.S. Preps Aid for Egypt Opposition

The State Department is preparing an aid package for Egypt's opposition parties, fearing that a swift transition in the country could lead to a new authoritarian regime. The U.S. money would help opposition quickly get to work on constitutional reform, democratic development and election organizing in a country that has never known full democracy. Mubarak's resignation Friday will make the assistance more crucial. Administration officials would not say whether any of the aid would go directly or indirectly to the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's Islamic party. The U.S. has a long history of supplying financial aid to burgeoning democratic movements with mixed results: Some Eastern European nations were able to throw off their dictators with training from the U.S., while others remain under authoritarian regimes.