By: Abdelrahman Amr and Michael Matthiesen In the second part of an Egyptian Streets article series under the name of East-West Chitchat that aims to spark increased dialogue between Americans and Egyptians. Abdelrahman Amr and Michael Matthiesen explore the relations between Egypt- the United States highlighting the events of cutting military aid over concerns on Egypt’s human rights record and its effect of the diplomatic relations between both countries. Pragmatism is a genuinely American social philosophy and since the formation of the libertarian ideological charged Tea Party in 2009, many Americans have been questioning the effectiveness of foreign aid and its role in serving American interests. This pragmatic libertarian form of questioning has given rise to the political careers of politicians like Senator Rand Paul and President Donald Trump who call for a cut to foreign aid especially when Americans, at home, are suffering. Those who are supporters of foreign aid argue that views like the Senator’s and President’s are misinformed. Foreign aid has had a tremendous impact on perpetuating and enforcing American interests abroad, by empowering America’s allies, and in the case of Egypt, making allies. Nonetheless, those who make an argument that doesn’t…
