Here is an expanded version of the previous post that I wrote for The Guardian:

There should be no illusion that suspending aid to Egypt’s military will force the generals to change their behavior for the better, but similarly, no one should believe that the US retains any influence or “leverage” in Cairo by continuing to keep the aid flowing. All that continued aid shows is that the US is willing to tolerate virtually any wrongdoing by its client, no matter how blatant or destructive it is.

At best, Washington is enabling harmful behavior that it says it opposes. At worst, it is actively encouraging Egypt’s military to follow its own worst instincts.