May 6, 2005 – While the words "cycle of violence" are inaccurately used and have more than one meaning, there is a real cycle that is caused by our own policies and misplaced intentions that is very difficult to mischaracterize. It's the "cycle of stupidity." Here's the latest installment of that long-running cycle.
Egypt is about to buy an air defense system from the Russians for $2 billion. Two billion dollars is about what we give Egypt in aid every year. So it seems that we are buying a Russian air defense system for Egypt. Don't be fooled by the word defense. It was the superb air defense capability that Egypt developed with Russian help in 1973 that gave her early victories in that war with Israel.
The story about the weapon purchase could easily be titled, "Egypt to spend U.S. dollars to buy Russian weapons to use against Israel."
During the years, Egypt has spent more than $50 billion of U.S. aid on weapons. Rather than feed her people or build the infrastructure necessary to ease the burden of poverty in a very poor land, Egypt builds her armed forces to confront Israel, and we then need to sell Israel the most sophisticated armaments, too. So the Israeli budget is pinched, and with U.S. aid we fund both Israel and Egypt in the little arms race in that corner of the world. Egypt gets a certain type of missile. Israel has to buy a certain kind of counter missile. Israel makes great tanks. The U.S. has to provide Egypt with similar tanks. It goes on that way every year.
Sending money to the Middle East to buy Russian military goods is another variation on the theme. It is both self-defeating and part of a "cycle of stupidity." In one way or the other we fund the military all over the Middle East and then end up disarming them, at great cost to ourselves, as we are doing in Iraq and possibly may have to do in Iran.
It's time to think about what we are doing and how shortsighted it is. This is not just about our energy policy, but also about our arms policy and our choice of friends in the region. Instead, we stick with the "cycle of stupidity." One place we could start is by reexamining the aid we give to Egypt. If we think financial aid is necessary, then it ought to be for the things that will actually benefit the people of that country. That precludes the kind of weapons we've been sending, and it certainly would rule out funds used to buy armaments elsewhere.
–nrg

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