Ali Gharib: U.S. Has 'Moral Imperative' To Cut Funding To Egyptian Military (VIDEO)

As violence continues in Egypt, an ongoing debate is ensuing here on American soil about the role of the United States in this international crisis. Senior Editor for The Daily Beast's "Open Zion" joined HuffPost Live's Ahmed Shihab-Eldin to discuss the implications of American foreign aid in Egypt.

Commenting on President Obama's speech today, Gharib told Shihab-Eldin, "I think he didn't really go far enough. It's past time to send a stronger message than just canceling a military exercise."

"The truth is that the U.S. is a massive funder of the Egyptian military. Our aid constitutes roughly a fifth of the Egyptian military's budget, and they've come to understand that that money will flow to them without consequences for any of their actions. They're basically on that front acting with impunity," continued Gharib, echoing his recent article in The Daily Beast, "Time To Cut Off Egypt."

"I believe that not only is there a legal imperative to cut off aid to a military coup government ... but there's a strong moral imperative too," Gharib said.

For more on this discussion, watch the full segment here.