The Biden administration recently authorized $2.5 billion in arms sales to Egypt. The weapons were military planes and air defense radar systems. This follows a $170 million military aid authorization in September. It also precedes the suspension of $130 million of military aid. This suspension occurred because Cairo did not meet standards about basic human rights conditions.

Egypt has been the second highest recipient of U.S. military aid worldwide. They receive $1.3 billion per year, most of which is foreign military financing. This aid is earmarked to buy U.S. weapons, equipment, and training. The Biden administration notes that this aid is going to a country that violates U.S. Leahy Law practices. These are the rules that intend to prevent human rights abuses from U.S. security aid. This acknowledgement happened both in 2020 and when it canceled the most recent suspended aid delivery.

Thus, the $2.5 billion sale is an example of a risky sale that the administration should avoid. According to the recently released 2021 Arms Sales Risk Index, Egypt ranks as the eighteenth most risky recipient of arms sales. The government is corrupt, undemocratic, commits human rights abuses, and inspires terrorism. Sending Egypt billions of dollars of U.S. weapons may seem like aiding an ally. Instead, this means that the U.S. needs to choose better allies.

Before, U.S. weapons have financed the Egyptian military. Between 2009 and 2020, the U.S. has sent Egypt $3.2 billion in fighter aircrafts, $2.3 billion in rotary aircrafts, $1.58 billion in support, $1.3 billion in tanks and armored vehicles, $240 million in naval craft, and over $1.4 billion in missiles, munitions, and radar.

The history and current administration’s policy on arms sales to Egypt make little sense. These weapons are not going to causes like improving human rights. From a data perspective, its score in the human rights components of the Cato Institute’s Arms Sales Risk Index have worsened every year.

Beyond the data, over the last five years, Egypt has waged a proxy conflict against Turkey in Libya, is home to around 1,000 ISIS militants, has forced human rights groups to shut down, uses advanced technology to track and target citizens, institutes a prison system that has led to increasing recruits for ISIS and al-Qaeda, and used a draconian counterterrorism campaign to murder 755 people – many of whom are simple political opposition, not terrorists. The military-led government and military itself commit these crimes.

Overall, U.S. weapons in Egypt fund a government whose draconian policies lead to arguments with other Middle Eastern countries and inspire and enable terrorist groups. These weapons help the Egyptian government commit some of the worst human rights abuses occurring in the world.

By definition, transferring weapons to human rights abusers does not help fight human rights abuse. Yet, the Biden administration continues to tout a foreign policy supposedly based on human rights.

The administration cannot have it both ways. It can choose to either support or fight global human rights abuses. Weapons sales to Egypt clearly support human rights abuses, which undermines the stated goals of Biden’s foreign policy.