The terrorist murders of our ambassador to Libya and three other brave Americans and the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Egypt were a shock to us all. They should make us examine President Obama's foreign policies and leadership in general, and the use of foreign aid more specifically. During the so-called Arab Spring protests that rocked North Africa and the Middle East last year, we witnessed long-time dictators deposed and listened to the president wax rhapsodic about a birth of democracy in the Muslim world. However, the recent attacks reflect the reality that these countries are not becoming what President Obama thought they would, and now present a challenge and perhaps a threat to the United States. As a result, U.S. policy must be re-evaluated.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, a longtime member of the anti-Western Muslim Brotherhood, has set Egypt on a troubling new foreign policy course. His government has distanced itself from the U.S. while warming up to China, improving relations with Iran and violating its peace treaty with Israel. These events occurred even as the Obama Administration continues to apologize for offending those who seek to harm us.

In the months following the Arab Spring, the Egyptian government has shown an increasingly hostile attitude toward America. This attitude was underscored by its failure to respond to the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Cairo on Sept. 11. President Obama and his administration blamed the violence on a spontaneous response to an anti-Muslim video, yet the facts say otherwise. Intelligence officials and even senior congressional Democrats have stated their belief that the attacks were pre-planned by elements aligned with al-Qaida to coincide with the 9/11 anniversary.

Egypt's intransigence is accentuated when you compare its response to the Sept. 11 attacks to Libya's. Despite advance warning of plans by radical Islamists to mount a protest demonstration on Sept. 11, Egyptian security forces failed to protect the American embassy and it took two days for President Morsi to condemn the violence against America. In contrast, Libya's new government quickly denounced the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi and has cooperated in the search for the terrorists responsible for the murder of the U.S. ambassador and three other diplomats. Libyan authorities are tracking down the perpetrators of the attack and reportedly have made arrests.

The president should not double down on his absence of leadership by doling out foreign aid to those who work against us. Foreign aid can be a useful tool to our diplomatic goals if it advances U.S. interests around the world, but foreign aid is not a blank check. U.S. aid to Egypt should end for the time being. My colleague, Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, chairwoman of the House subcommittee that oversees State Department dollars, has placed a hold on more than $450 million that President Obama wants to give to Egypt. Meanwhile, his administration announced a postponement of a $1 billion debt relief package. That is a start, but in light of recent events, we must completely reconsider our foreign aid to Egypt.

It is clear that Egypt is not our ally. An ally does not sit by and allow mobs to attack our embassy and rip down our flag. An ally does not wait two days before publicly condemning the murder of our ambassador. Congress must make it clear that foreign aid to Egypt, and to the rest of the world, is not unconditional, and we are willing to end it if a country is no longer willing to help us. We need a leader who will stand up to those seeking to do us harm, never apologize for our right to defend ourselves and be truthful to the American people.

 

Olson, a Republican, represents U.S. House District 22.