You're watching...
Diligent Innovations CEO Mike Barrett on the benefits of foreign aid to countries such as Egypt.
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
Our top story tonight will -- or won't we keep funding countries like Libya and Egypt is anti American violence escalates there.
A group of house Republicans is saying no we should not the house is set to vote any minute now in the continuing resolution.
Which includes almost seven billion dollars in mideast aid provisions but is all the aid to these countries really a good plan.
Mike Garrett is a principal with the international security consulting firm diligent innovations.
Thanks for joining me -- out the downside do you think to cutting aid to Egypt and Libya because it's very -- right now.
-- -- it's clearly very tempting and I think it would feel very good emotionally but the reality is.
The money that we're giving to Egypt goes to the military if there's one thing that's keeping the Muslim Brotherhood which is you know has the presidency there.
If there's one thing that's keeping them on line -- the military -- military is pretty well educated they tend to be a little bit more western they tend to be pretty pretty advanced.
So they really are kind of -- -- work there that's really helping to long term interest of the United States and of maternity.
If we cut off the funding them were really only strengthening the hand of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Well I mean we give one point six billion dollars.
That's legislated this year to go to Egypt and as you said one point three billion of that goes the military.
But it doesn't seem like they're keeping things very -- when you look at the pictures of the -- -- a protest that's going on of course you look at what happened to our embassy.
-- -- -- -- -- Pictures right there -- and this is a country where we're giving money to the military where is that money going.
Well so really get you think about it -- two things one it's it's basically a risk insurance policy regarding Israel so ever -- the Camp David accords with -- given this money to Egypt and state based with a quid pro quo.
Whereby they keep peace with Israel so if you think about what we're spending per -- -- per hour per day in Afghanistan what we're actively -- war that's a huge bill.
The one point three billion a year is actually really not all that much money it sounds like a lot but at the end of the day it's not that much.
Another two point about it now is -- -- isn't doing what what we think it's supposed to be doing.
It's doing the one thing the probably matters the most which is that it's keeping Egypt and Israel peace.
And so from that point of view it's actually pretty good deal the other thing to remember is that the one point three billion we don't actually give them the cash what we do is we we -- -- almost like a credit.
And then they spend it on American weapons so it actually does create jobs here at home as well it's not just appear cash transfer.
I do think that you know it would make sense perhaps for the house to to vote.
To take just a small amount just -- you know as a symbolic measure but I think it would be really really dangerous in the long run.
If we actually cut it because then the Muslim Brotherhood leadership will be very likely to violate their treaty with Israel which again.
The three decades has has helped keep the peace there.
I have a lot of people on today earlier today saying that we're trying to buying friends with this money and that it's clearly not working what do you think about that prospectus.
Well I think you know the difference between a bride and a you know -- in a payment that you're doing in order to avoid risk and sometimes look an awful lot the same.
But at the end of the day you know it one point three billion while feels like a lot of money you know we're we're trillions of dollars in debt I think as a country we have massive economic problems and things and need to deal -- But this is really this is not the the -- gonna break the camel's back in terms of our national debt outlook.
And unfortunately could actually be the straw that breaks the camel's back in terms of -- plunging us into war.
If Egypt backs away from Israel -- and you end up with that regional conflagration getting even worse.
It is the symbolic nature -- what's going on that we are giving money to people who appear to -- -- -- -- -- that weakened our standing around the world do we look like idiots when we're doing something like that.
Well you know my personal opinion as we look like idiots for a lot of reasons right now terms our foreign policy you -- the secretary of State's Clinton come out yesterday insect.
That it was can founding that this would happen in Libya a place where we of that you know worked so hard to try to help set up the new government was not -- sounding at all -- mean what we've done is we've taken.
Very strong leaders and we helped oppose them and now we're left with the chaos that's there.
And so I think ultimately you're down to this really fundamental foreign policy debate which is -- achieve peace through security which is where people like myself come down as realist.
-- -- achieve peace through negotiations open hands.
Remember the president famously came in and said that he was gonna negotiate with anybody any time with no preconditions.
Extending an open hand to every country.
And you know what that sounds good and it seems like great political rhetoric the reality is that it's not eat particularly tough -- -- -- like the Middle East where everyone's so well -- So what does -- that mean I mean what -- we really be doing right now to stop this tide of hatred that's coming out asked what could we really do today.
Well I think you know one of the big pieces in in Egypt is again to make it very clear.
That we expect them to abide by their -- Nash government commitments it's also to strengthen the hand again of the military and -- the moderates.
You know I think a lot of Americans here felt like we could strengthen the hands of the people on the streets -- that -- these were young people -- they were pro democracy.
And the reality is what we did is we took out the strong dictator.
And we enabled the Muslim Brotherhood to come manner.
So you get into a lot of you know public relations and trying to put it could foot forward for western thought and for maternity.
But I think -- ought to be careful not to just.
Appear weak and city after city in which is what we have right now down it's a really tough situation say the least -- -- thanks coming on thank.
