The arms ban against Egypt has been lifted. While many Egyptians are celebrating, not all Americans are pleased.

Back in 2013, the United States decided to seriously slash the amount of military aid being given to Egypt after its democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, was ousted from office by force. The attacks left hundreds dead, according to NPR.

The reason for the change of heart is because the White House has placed the situation in the Middle East over its disappointment in Egypt for violating both democracy and human rights. Egypt is currently preparing to send troops into Yemen because the country is on the cusp of a civil war. According to NPR, the U.S. will be sending “12 F-16s, 20 Harpoon missiles and up to 125 M1A1 Abrams tank kits” to Egypt. In addition, beginning in the fiscal year of 2018, “the U.S. will channel security assistance for Egypt to four categories: counterterrorism, border security, Sinai security and maritime security, and for weapons systems Egypt already possesses.”

While military aid is a very strong conservative belief, the beliefs in freedom and democracy are stronger. Conservatives hold traditional values such as these in high esteem, and would expect the U.S. to place integrity and tradition above the needs of another country.

By giving this much aid to a country that has not proved it has or will make significant political reform, the U.S. is saying to Egypt that blatant violations against the tenets of democracy and human rights can be brushed aside if a more important situation comes along.

Sending an assortment of weapons over to aid Egypt in a time of crisis is not the big issue. Egypt is preparing to intervene in a very serious situation in Yemen, and the U.S. made the right decision in supporting Egypt in its efforts. However, the fact that the White House is already making plans to allocate financial resources for Egypt beginning in three years from now is a call that is being made prematurely. In addition to actual weapons, President Barack Obama has again requested approximately 1.3 billion U.S. dollars to be set aside for the purpose of aiding foreign countries militarily. Egypt will be one of the countries on the receiving end of this budget.

While it is common for the U.S. to provide aid such as temporary military forces and weapons to countries in need, Egypt is receiving a deal better than it deserves. According to the Washington Post, “Egypt — the only country besides Israel that is granted such a privilege by Washington — has effectively been given a credit card with a maximum limit in the billions of dollars, experts say.”

If Egypt is able to make serious political reforms in the near future, which is highly unlikely, then maybe it could prove to be worthy of such a deal. However, it does not appear that this will be happening anytime in the near future. According to NPR, “there are about 20,000 political prisoners in Egyptian jails, and parliamentary elections have been delayed while President Sisi rules by decree.” Spending the money of the American people to support a country that does not uphold the basic beliefs of democracy and human liberties is unwarranted.

The decision to aid a country entering into the turmoil in the Middle East is understandable due to the current American ties to the situation. However, the extent of the aid given to Egypt was unnecessary and undeserving.

Victoria Razzi is a freshman magazine journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at vcrazzi@syr.edu and followed on twitter at @vrazzi.

Published on April 6, 2015 at 12:45 am