The US should suspend foreign aid to Egypt.

US Aid as a Bribe: Con argues that a lot of other people agree with him, so therefore he is correct. However, the whole idea that Egypt would attack Israel if US cut aid is ridiculous. Indeed, Egypt and Israel are quite close. (1) The Wall Street Journal reports: "Nowadays, the Egyptian military has a far closer relationship with the Israeli Defense Forces than with the U.S. It values Israeli advice on matters like terrorism and Hamas." (2) Indeed, the army and Israel are quite close friends. Fox news reports, "Israel is quietly and carefully watching the turmoil in neighboring Egypt while maintaining close contacts with the Egyptian military."(3) Obviously the army is far more pro-Israel and pro-West than the Egyptian people, but I would remind Con that I am not arguing the army should give up power, but instead should simply stop the mass killing of their own people. It is ridiculous to think that Egypt would turn on Israel because the US briefly cut off aid with a valid justification. BRIBING AL-QUAEDA In the last round, I used the analogy of giving the army weapons at the moment to giving AL-Quaeda bombs. My opponent attempts to counter this by explaining how the US often does manage to supply terrorists with weapons. His point is not entirely clear. The US massacred the natives in the past, does that make it acceptable now? The US used chemical weapons in Vietnam, so we're clear to do it again? Regardless of past grievances, not giving the Egyptian army weapons at the moment is a cause that almost nobody could condemn. EGYPT'S DESIRE (or lack thereof) FOR WAR WITH ISRAEL "The Egyptian military has no desire for war with Israel." Yes, and I am not arguing that the Egyptian military and their supporters should give up power. But killing their own people cannot be supported. As shown earlier, Egypt actually exercises quite good relations with Israel, and shares extensive commercial ties. (4) Furthermore, Egypt is cracking down on anti-Israel militants, despite the turmoil in their country. (5) Egypt-Israeli ties will not be hurt by the US cutting off aid, much less Egypt actually threatening Israel militarily. UMBRELLA FOR TALKS I do not quite see how Chuck Hagel and Abdel Fatah el-Sissi will end their old fishing-buddy friendship over this. Furthermore, the Egypt-Israeli treaty only in small part discusses aid. The rest of the treaty is still an excuse for talks, as is the possible restoration of the aid. Talks will not be hurt by cutting off aid, and will only last a short time. RUNNING TO RUSSIA Egypt making economic and commercial ties with Russia and China is not necessarily a bad thing. As for more personal ties, if the Egyptian army really cares about democracy, then it won't become too friendly, and if they don't, then the US should not support it. Also, how would you suggest that the US stops these talks? The US supplies more and more aid, and the talks continue. Clearly, Egypt wants to be allies with Russia and China, regardless of their relations with the US. BETTER REASONS TO CUT OFF AID Con cites a number of better reasons to cut off aid to Egypt. I can as well. 1. Nuclear development and threat 2. Use of chemical or biological weapons 3. WMD support of terrorists My point here is that there is always worse. Egypt could start using WMD's on their people, and someone could say, "wait, don't cut off aid, because their not using nuclear weapons yet". Over one thousand people have died at the hands of the Egyptian military, and while there are always better reasons, this one does not become less valid. The cutting off of aid would also not take that chip off the table. The US could threaten to suspend it longer or even permanently revoke the aid. CONCLUSION Cutting off aid will be remembered as the right side of history. When my opponent argues the transgressions the US has committed on foreign policy, I can see this issue being added to the list in the future. Removal of the military aid for a short time will not harm Israeli-Egyptian relations, or extensively harm Egypt-US relations. The justification is sound, and this action will help to lessen the horrors being played out in Egypt at the moment. The killings at the hands of the Egyptian military shows the validity of the Foreign Assistance Act, and especially what it says for coups. (5) Cutting off aid is a win-win, and it must be done for principle and for law. Thank you Con for debating this with me, and may the best man win. (1) http://en.wikipedia.org... (2) http://online.wsj.com... (3) http://www.foxnews.com... (4) http://www.globes.co.il... (5) http://www.nytimes.com...