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  • 8/13/2019 Aid to Egypt Online Debate

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    Pacific Northwest State The Intelligencer Edition #1

    AID TO EGYPT?Resolved,the United States should cease economic and

    military aid to Egypt in light of the current government's

    method of obtaining power.

    1Junior State of America

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    Online Debate

    Resolved, the United States should cease economic and

    military aid to Egypt in light of the current government'smethod of obtaining power.

    Pro: Uma Ilavarasan

    Con:Austin Weinstein

    BackgroundThe violent situation in Egypt (its first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi,

    was overthrown by a combination of anti-government sentiment and the military on July 3, 2013, an

    event that was followed by continued protests by Morsis supporters, 54 of whom were killed by

    security forces at Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque on July has called into question Americas continued

    aid to the nation; funds amount to 1.3 billion US dollars per year, and consist mostly of military

    assistance. Many classify Morsis deposition as a military coup, which would require the United

    States, by law, to cease its monetary aid to Egypt. Others argue that his removal was not an

    unwarranted seizure of power, but an accurate reflection of the peoples will (with 14 million or more

    protesting, perhaps the largest political event in human history) in the face of a stagnant economy,

    and gasoline and power shortages.

    Tensions have been festering in Egypt since Morsis June 30, 2012 inauguration (he won

    51.7% of the vote): as the former head of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the

    Muslim Brotherhood (a group long illegal in Egypt), he faced claims that he was more loyal to his

    MB brethren than Egypt itself, and that the MB was attempting to wage a cultural war on Egypt. In

    the aftermath of July 3, pro-Morsi protestors have faced untold violence (the aforementioned

    massacre featuring prominently), and MB o#ces have been closed, its leaders arrested (including

    Mohammed Badie, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood), and television stations that support the

    MB have been shut down. This has lead some to the conclusion that Egypt is returning to a

    Mubarak-era crackdown on dissent, an essential component of democracy. As a result, the

    question comes down to whether the United States government should cease its economic and

    military aid to Egypt in light of the current government's method of obtaining power?$

    2Junior State of America

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    PRO: Uma Ilavarasan

    The protests begin on June 30, the one-year anniversary of Mohammed Morsis inauguration

    to the presidency, spurred by that leaders authoritarianism and whispers of an Islamist agenda

    running rampant Egypts fledgling democracy, a charge seemingly corroborated by Morsis Freedom

    and Justice party membership (the FJP is the arm of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood that fieldscandidates for o#ce). The next day, the Egyptian military threatened to take over the government if

    warring politicians (secularists, more extremist parties, and MB leaders themselves) could not

    quickly craft a successful conclusion. The military made their loyalties to harmful paradigms, and

    their distaste for the MB, painfully clear on July 2 with their slaughter of 18 people (exact figures are

    not available) and injury of 200 protestors at a pro-Morsi rally. This tumultuous half-week culminated

    in Morsis removal from o#ce, the arrest of senior MB members, the suspension of the constitution,

    and shadowy plans for a future presidential election. The interim government, currently in place, is

    led by president Adly Mansour; no dates have yet been set for the aforementioned elections. The

    actions taken by the Egyptian military (and originally backed by religious and secular leaders) define

    a coup, despite the US governments unwillingness to designate them as such. Members of thestate department, and Congress, know that defining the decisions of El-Sisi and his cronies as

    dictatorial, and marking them as illegitimate, would necessitate ending the 1.5 billion dollars in aid

    to Egypt the United States annually dispenses and threaten already tenuous relationships in the

    region. The legal obligation to cease the provision of funds, is at least equalled, perhaps trumped,

    by the United States moral obligations (obligations that are unfortunately predicated on a reality the

    US seems unwilling to recognize): the interim government has stifled dissent, failed to respond to

    the persecution of Coptic Christians, and further normalized sexual assault. Thus, the United States

    shouldcease economic and military aid to Egypt in light of the current governments method of

    obtaining power.

    Section 508 of the Foreign Assistance Act clearly states none of the funds

    appropriated...pursuant to this act shall be obligated or expended to finance directly any assistance

    to any country whose duly elected head of government is deposed by military coup. A coup

    assuredly occurred: a democratically elected leader (Mohammed Morsi) was thrown out one year

    into his term in favor of a bizarre semi-junta (events, of course, orchestrated by the elmilitary, though

    with considerable civilian backing). It would seem obvious, then, that the US should stop funding

    the Egyptian military (the greatest beneficiary of the previously mentioned 1.5 billion). However, the

    Take Care Clause (Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution says that the President shall take Care

    that the Laws be faithfully executed) has led some to believe that the situationin Egypt calls for a

    suspension of this law (otherwise, again, the President and his government are legally bound to the

    halting of fund dispensation). The emergency circumstances that would negate the Take Care

    Clause are simply not present. This is not to say that the events unfolding in Egypt are not horrific,

    problematic, and inflammatory, but that the United States is not a direct player in the conflict and is

    not threatened by an Egyptian attack; the fact that modern-day Egypt can be characterized by

    those three adjectives is an indicator that the US must stop condoning coup-behavior and follow its

    own laws. Additionally, the US has failed to declare an obvious coup a coup, which is intensely

    3Junior State of America

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    problematic in and of itself. The selective nature of Section 508s application renders it ine%ective,

    and counters its purpose. Not naming this beast a coup constitutes presidential negligence, and an

    inability to fulfill the job partially outlined by the Take Care Clause.

    Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is both an ine%ective and troublesome ruler, emphasized by the current

    lack of election plans, and the suppression of pro-MB voices through arrests and violence.

    Immediately after the coup took place, the new regime seemed a positive development; gas lines

    were shorter, electricity showed more constancy in presence. These initial gains, however, have

    degenerated into losses exacerbated by the presence of an undemocratic government. El-Sisi and

    his a#liates have imprisoned Morsi and fellow MB members that populate the upper echelons of

    this political organizations hierarchy, while bringing ex-president and dictator Hosni Mubarak out of

    jail. The latter move signaled to many protestors, and to the international community, the lack of

    reformist sentiment in the new government;. Demonstrations have splintered into bloodshed and

    distrust, as members of the police force and military break up existent protests with weapons and

    degradation. The Egyptian governments ine%ectual responses to the abuses of Coptic Christians

    by Morsi supporters as part of a larger backlash, further speaking to the ine#

    ciency and disregardof the institution. During protests, large numbers of women were sexually assaulted as well, in a

    climate of overwhelming impunity. El-Sisis government has o%ered no course of redress for these

    females, preferring to follow the low standards of responsiveness to sexual crimes set by his

    predecessors. These factors combine to demonstrate that El-Sisi is no improvement, no purveyor of

    democracy to his people; his current actions seem to indicate a return to the same authoritarian,

    oppressive tendencies of the past. The human rights abuses carried out under his watch, too, are a

    call to action.

    The United States must stop providing aid to Egypt because of that actions illegality under

    Section 508 of the Foreign Assistance Act and the flagrant human rights abuses apparent under El-

    Sisi and Mansours direction.$

    4Junior State of America

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    CON: Austin Weinstein

    Egypt currently receives the 5th-most aid of any country to whom the United States sends

    aid. This past year, the U.S. authorized a 1.55 billion dollar aid package to Egypt. 250 million of that

    aid is economic in purpose, the rest of the aid is military. This aid is in the form of F-16s, Abrams

    tanks, and other proprietary (thats important later) military equipment . A military coup (Yes Ill call it

    1

    a coup) this summer replaced the democratically-elected President Mohammed Morsi with a

    military leader, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. After a period of diplomatic uncertainty, The U.S. ended

    portions of that economic (not military) aid in response to the raids (or crackdowns) that killed at

    least 600 protesters that supported President Morsi. That begs a very important question. What was

    the U.S. doing aiding Egypt in the first place?

    The story of U.S. aid towards Egypt begins in 1978. As a condition of the Egyptian-Israeli

    peace accords (also known as the Camp David Accords), the U.S. supplies aid towards both Israel

    and Egypt to ensure this peace . The keystone of Israeli-Egyptian peace is this aid. This resolution2

    proposes to cut o%all military aid towards Egypt. This would be an e%ective rejection of the Camp

    David Accords, and an a%ront towards both Israel and Egypt.

    But lets look at the aid in modern diplomatic terms rather than in the frame of reference of

    1978. What happens if we cut the aid?

    & Egypts view: Were seen as in opposition of the el-Sisi regime, and in favor of the Muslim

    Brotherhood (regardless of whether or not this is true). We lose an important ally, and the guiding

    force of the region. As the term goes, So goes Egypt, so goes the Middle East (a.k.a. why the

    Camp David Accords was one of the biggest diplomatic achievements ever).

    & Israels view: Israel is a big fan of el-Sisi because he has brought stability to Egypt and has beganwresting control over the volatile Sinai peninsula. Were seen against Egyptian stability, against el-

    Sisi, and against a stable mid-east. We also lose ground with an ultra-important ally, whos not so

    keen on us after the Iranian nuclear deal.

    & U.S. view: We gain.the favor of the human rights community for taking a stand against a military

    leader.

    5Junior State of America

    ' Meyer, Theodoric. "F.A.Q. on U.S. Aid to Egypt: Where Does the Money Go, And How Is It Spent?" ProPublica. Pro1

    Publica Inc., 9 Oct. 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. .

    ' Snowden, Edward. "US Embassy Cables: Egypt's Strategic Importance to the US.theguardian.com. Guardian News2

    and Media, 28 Jan. 2011. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.

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    Some argue that cutting o%aid wouldnt even matter, as Saudi Arabia has pledged to make

    up the di%erence if the U.S. cuts aid . That argument forgets that the U.S. aid is not in hard cash,3

    rather it is in proprietary military technology, a condition that greatly sweetened the deal when it first

    began. In addition, we lose Egypt as an ally, and were seen as abandoning the region by Saudi

    Arabia and an array of important gulf states.

    When el-Sisi took power from the democratically-elected Mohammed Morsi, many people

    sprung up saying that a. this was coup and b. according to the Foreign Assistance Act, the U.S.

    must cut aid to the country. I dont dispute that this was a military coup, it was, by definition, a

    military coup. I also dont dispute that according to the text of the law, we should cut aid to Egypt.

    But, as we discovered this summer, the U.S. found a clever trick to circumvent this condition . They4

    simply didnt call it a coup. I support this action, not because it is the proper action, but because it

    is the logical action. If what we have to do to maintain mid-east peace, and keep important allies is

    circumvent some diplomatic language, Im all for it. In fact, I have my own qualms with this coup

    clause. Its excessively idealistic (think of the million circumstances where an radical regime is

    overtaken by a moderate rational one) and ignorant of the diplomatic realities and circumstancesthat I mentioned.

    el-Sisi isnt perfect. Hes not even very good. Nor average. He kinda sucks. Hes been harsh

    on dissenters and he hasnt done much to improve the country. But he supports maintaining a

    democratic Egypt--they just have to work out a solution that is best for a stable, prosperous,

    democratic Egypt. President Mohammed Morsi led the country into economic stagnation, took

    nearly dictatorial measures that he used to further an Islamist agenda that upon which he had

    promised not to act, and was less of an ally to the U.S. than el-Sisi appears to be. The first Egyptian

    experiment into democracy did not work. el-Sisi supports a new constitution that seems to rectify

    the mistakes in the first (reminiscent of U.S. under the Articles of Confederation needing the

    Constitution) . Cutting U.S. aid would e%ectively denounce el-Sisi, cause untold problems politically5

    in Egypt, disrupt the Egyptian re-transition into democratic rule, and all of the diplomatic problems I

    previously mentioned.

    I argue that keeping the U.S. aid intact, maintaining a stable region, keeping crucial allies,

    and placating important friends is more important than standing by an idealistic, impractical clause

    that would make only the Human Rights Watch happy.$

    6Junior State of America

    ' Sly, Liz. "Backing Egypts Generals, Saudi Arabia Promises Financial Support."Washington Post. Je%Bezos'3

    Moneypit, 19 Aug. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. .

    ' Landler, Mark. "Aid to Egypt Can Keep Flowing, Despite Overthrow, White House Decides." The New York Times. The4

    New York Times Company, 25 July 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. .

    ' Spencer, Richard. "Egypt Military to Retain Key Powers in New Constitution." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 235

    May 0021. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. .

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    Works Cited

    Images:

    http://media.web.britannica.com/eb-media/99/90099-050-0302422F.jpg

    http://multimedia.pol.dk/archive/00772/Mideast_Egypt_New_L_772348a.jpg

    http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/egyptchange021011/e01_08967231.jpg

    Footnotes

    Landler, Mark. "Aid to Egypt Can Keep Flowing, Despite Overthrow, White House Decides." The New York

    Times. The New York Times Company, 25 July 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. .

    Meyer, Theodoric. "F.A.Q. on U.S. Aid to Egypt: Where Does the Money Go, And How Is It Spent?"

    ProPublica. Pro Publica Inc., 9 Oct. 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. .

    Sly, Liz. "Backing Egypts Generals, Saudi Arabia Promises Financial Support."Washington Post. Je%Bezos'

    Moneypit, 19 Aug. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. .

    Snowden, Edward. "US Embassy Cables: Egypt's Strategic Importance to the US."Theguardian.com.

    Guardian News and Media, 28 Jan. 2011. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. .

    Spencer, Richard. "Egypt Military to Retain Key Powers in New Constitution." The Telegraph. Telegraph

    Media Group, 23 May 0021. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. .

    CreditsWritten by Uma Ilavarasan(Background and Pro) andAustin Weinstein(Con)

    Formatted and Compiled by Hari Mahesh

    Posted on the Website by Julian Boss

    Pacific Northwest Website:states.jsa.org/pnw/

    Pacific Northwest Twitter Page:https://twitter.com/pnw_jsa

    Pacific Northwest Instagram: http://instagram.com/pnw_jsa

    Pacific Northwest Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/183505885114580/

    Junior State of America Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/JuniorState

    Are you interested in writing for future Online Debates?

    Contact either Uma Ilavarasan, your Director of Online Literature,or Hari Mahesh, your Director of Publicity, and they will assign you

    to online debates on future editions of the Intelligencer.

    7Junior State of America