Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 07/2014

Making the Case: Think Twice Before Punishing Egypt

Aki Peritz, Mieke Eoyang

June 2013

Third Way

Abstract

Deepening authoritarianism. A crackdown on NGOs. An anti-Semitic president. Yes, we have serious concerns about Egypt, but America should not gut its foreign aid to Cairo. Why? In this memo, we make the case that denying aid to Egypt will ultimately hinder U.S. national security interests in the region—as cutting funding would prove to be counterproductive for the region, our allies, and our interests.