As the Egyptian military leads a hopeful country toward democracy, the top U.S. military official is touring the Middle East to reassure key American allies that everything will be all right. Adm. Mike Mullen will visit Jordan, which is facing its own unrest in the wake of revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, and Israel, which is worried that the end of the Mubarak regime will lead to an Egyptian government less friendly to the Jewish state. Israel fought several bitter wars with Egypt before signing a peace treaty in 1979, an agreement that Mubarak steadfastly enforced. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Egypt that its new government must continue to support the treaty, Israel's first with an Arab nation. The U.S. usually gives Egypt around $1.5 billion a year, mostly in military support, and the role of the Egyptian military in establishing a new order will make Mullen's connections in Cairo increasingly important for keeping the country on a peaceful path.
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