Seth Binder
Washington, D.C.
Director of Policy and Government Relations @ACMER_US. Formally @MideastDC & @POMED, focusing on US policy to MENA. @ForumArmsTrade Expert.
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Articles by Seth Binder
What Are U.S. Military Dollars Buying in Egypt?
Washington is in the middle of a rare and long-overdue debate about whether U.S. military aid actually serves U.S. interests. From Sen. to Rep. , lawmakers have recently called—to varying degrees—for the end of U.S. aid to Israel, forcing a reckoning with how the United States uses military assistance as a foreign-policy tool. But Israel is not the only relationship that deserves scrutiny.
Trump courts Saudi at the risk of US, Middle East security
His family say he was a fisherman. The Saudis say he smuggled drugs. He was one of hundreds executed this year For a year, Mohamed Saad’s family had no idea whether he was alive or dead. The 28-year-old Egyptian fisherman had gone out on a routine trip off the coast of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and never returned. Relatives searched for months with no word from authorities. When they …
Saudi Arabia can't be another US security liability
As Washington prepares for a visit this week to the White House by Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS), reports indicate that it could be the occasion for the announcement of a U.S.-Saudi security pact, along the lines of a recent security commitment announced by President Trump for Saudi Arabia’s one-time regional rival, Qatar.
The Foreign Aid Freeze's Costs to the US in the Middle East and North Africa
Republicans and Democrats alike have long recognized the importance of foreign aid to U.S. national security. In 2017, for example, then-Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, argued, “Foreign Aid is not charity.
Can Biden’s new arms policy lead to real accountability for Israel?
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Can Biden’s new arms policy lead to real accountability for Israel? Original
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late last week ordered his war cabinet to draft plans for a ground invasion of Rafah, one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Four months into an unprecedented and brutal assault on the Gaza Strip following the Oct. 7 massacre carried out by Hamas, Israeli operations have already killed 28,000 Palestinians and brought untold suffering and a humanitarian crisis.
Law and Policy Guide to US Arms Transfers to Israel
Hamas’ attacks and the Israeli bombing campaign in Gaza that followed have rightly drawn critical attention to the applicable international humanitarian law standards governing the conduct of hostilities. As U.S. weapons transfers to Israel increase, and in light of the unparalleled U.S. security assistance and arms sales relationship with Israel, relevant U.S. policies and laws that apply to arms transfers merit similar attention.
Biden’s “Skinny Budget” Loosens Belt on Foreign Aid
During the 2020 presidential race, then campaign aide, now Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised that a Biden administration would “bring aid back to the center of our foreign policy—the emphasis would be on diplomacy, on democracy, and on development.” We now have a first sense of how the Biden administration plans to fulfill this pledge.
For the Record: The New Secretary of State on Democracy, MENA
On January 26, the Senate confirmed Antony J. Blinken to serve as Secretary of State in the Biden administration. At his January 19 Senate nomination hearing, Blinken spoke about how he and the administration plan to approach global democracy promotion and certain Middle East issues. Here’s a selection of these remarks. Democracy and human rights: “We can revitalize our core alliances – force multipliers of our influence around the world.
The Case for Arms Embargoes Against Uncooperative Partners
The efficacy of withholding military assistance, including grant aid and arms sales, to modify the behavior of recipient countries is a hotly debated topic in the U.S. foreign policy community. Last month, War on the Rocks published another contribution to this discussion.
Why Trump’s Aid Cuts to Syria, Gaza and West Bank Heighten Risk to U.S.
The Trump administration recently announced, in a cascade of shortsighted decisions, that it will cut at least $700 million in aid to Syria and to the West Bank and Gaza, some of which had been suspended earlier this year. The initial suspension had already caused damage, paralyzing U.S. programming for months, to the detriment of beleaguered Syrians and Palestinians.
Yemen Campaign Tests U.S. Military Aid Policy
The coalition of countries involved in Operation Decisive Storm, which is attacking the Yemeni insurgent group known as the Houthis, includes some of the largest U.S. recipients of military assistance and arms sales. In fact, the coalition has received a combined total of $10.5 billion in security assistance from FY 2009 to FY 2014 and $21 billion in arms sales from FY 2009 to FY 2013 from the United States.
A Walk Through U.S. Arms Sales and Aid to Operation Decisive Storm Countries
Operation Decisive Storm, a coalition of ten countries led by Saudi Arabia conducting military operations against the insurgent group known as the Houthis in Yemen, includes some of the largest recipients of U.S. security assistance and arms sales in the world. In fact, the coalition has received a combined total of $10.5 billion in U.S. military aid from FY 2009 to FY 2014 and $21 billion in U.S. arms sales from FY 2009 to FY 2013 from the United States.
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