US investing more in arms than humanitarian causes

In addition, at a time when Washington spent only about $ 1.25 per US citizen on development and humanitarian aid and peacekeeping abroad, it exported weapons worth more than two dollars per citizen to foreign countries, often the same nations to which itprovides the bulk of its aid.

The United States accounted for roughly half of all arms exports worldwide from 1993 through 1995, the last year for which reliable estimates are available. Most us weapons exports went to US allies in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, and East Asia. “We sell weapons, we give weapons away, we provide financing to buy weapons,” says Joan Whelan, the report’s author. “And then once the weapons are used, we spend billions of dollar to try to clean up the aftermath.”

The total US foreign aid bill for 1997 came to about $ 13.6 billion, the lowest amount in real terms since the onset of the Cold War in the late 1940s and less than half of US aid levels just 15 years ago. Of the total amount of aid provided in 1997, roughly 27 per cent, or about $ 3.7 billion, was devoted to straight military assistance and training, and another 22 per cent, or just over three billion dollars, went to a more ambiguous category called “security aid.”

Most of the latter consisted ofEconomic Support Funds (ESF), which usually comes in the form of cash transfers (often to pay for US weapons) to countries deemed of “strategic importance” to the United States, and aid (including weapons) used in the global fight against drugs and terrorism, according to the report.

About 17 per cent of US bilateral aid, or roughly $ 2.25 billion, went to solving conflicts, including humanitarian aid, refugee assistance, disaster relief, and peacekeeping.

The report finds that this type of aid is the fastest-growing among all categories, particularly in light of the increasing number of nations which have had to deal with internal conflicts since the end of the Cold War. Finally, about one third of US aid, or about $ 4.6 billion, went to development aid, including contributions to the World Bank.

Of all US bilateral aid, almost half, or about 44 per cent, went to the countries in the Middle East, most notably Israel and Egypt which together received more than five billion dollars in military andsecurity assistance. The two countries also accounted for 15 per cent of all US arms shipments last year.

Countries of southern and eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, led by Bosnia, Ukraine, Turkey, Russia, received almost 15 per cent of all bilateral aid, sub-Saharan Africa about 14 per cent, Latin America got seven per cent, and Asia about eight per cent.

The Middle East also received almost 90 per cent of all US military assistance and about 75 per cent of security aid, which was concentrated on Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority.

By contrast, sub-Saharan Africa received almost one third of all US conflict-related and development assistance, Europe about 25 per cent, Asia about 15 per cent and Latin America about ten percent, according to the report.

Whelan stresses that her statistics did not include aid or other assistance which is provided independently by the Pentagon.

Sanctions not working, say executives

HONG KONG: The sanctions imposed on India andPakistan after their nuclear tests have failed, according to a poll of Asian executives released on Wednesday. Respondents to the poll, by the Hong-Kong based `Far Eastern Economic Review’ and TV channel CNBC Asia, were split on whether the two South Asian nations will sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, with 55 per cent saying they doubt it will happen. If the treaty is signed, then an overwhelming 82 per cent think the US should repeal its sanctions. Such sanctions were deemed “not effective” by 68 per cent of respondents.