 |
|
|
|
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) vexen | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A new page to my "Why do people hate the USA?" site... following is brief excerpt of the main criticism:
Foreign Aid: USA is stingiest of the 22 most developed countries</a>
The USA claims to be, in absolute terms, the world's biggest giver and this is true. However, as a proportion of it's wealth the USA gives least when compared to all 22 of the worlds' most developed countries.
"[Americans] are regularly told by politicians and the media, that America is the world's most generous nation. This is one of the most conventional pieces of 'knowledgable ignorance'. [...For example Japan gives more even in absolute terms...]
Absolute figures are less significant than the proportion of gross domestic product (GDP, or national wealth) that a country devotes to foreign aid. On that league table, the US ranks twenty-second of the 22 most developed nations. As former President Jimmy Carter commented: 'We are the stingiest nation of all'. Denmark is top of the table, giving 1.01% of GDP, while the US manages just 0.1%. The United Nations has long established the target of 0.7% GDP for development assistance, although only four countries actually achieve this: Denmark, 1.01%; Norway, 0.91%; the Netherlands, 0.79%; Sweden, 0.7%. Apart from being the least generous nation, the US is highly selective in who receives its aid. Over 50% of its aid budget is spent on middle-income countries in the Middle East, with Israel being the recipient of the largest single share."
"Why do people hate America?" by Ziauddin Sardar and Merryl Wyn Davies, 2002. p79
Not only that, but according to one source cited by Sarder & Davies, 80% of that aid itself actually goes to American companies in those foreign countries.
Full page:
http://www.vexen.co.uk/USA/foreign_aid.html Tags: politics, usa
Current Mood:  bored
Listening To: "Beyound 4" by Beyond
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Comments
Page 1 of 2
[1] [2]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| From: (Anonymous) |
Date: November 6th, 2003 08:13 pm (UTC) |
| (Link) |
The truth about U.S. aid...
|
It is true, European governments give more aid to the 3rd world (close to 31 billion annually!) than the United States, but most of that aid is concentrated on their former colonies wherein until recently, they were causing so much trouble in trying to hang on to them. (For example, the Dutch military actions in Indonesia, and the French actions in Indochina and Algeria.) Still, Europe should be commended for trying to be a more positive force in the world than it was during its colonial past.
If you only count official government aid to “3rd world nations”, the annual U.S. total is only about 7 billion dollars. This does not take into account the economic foreign aid to countries not counted as "3rd world", like Israel, which pushes the figure up to around 12 billion.
Most importantly however, it also does not take into account annual foreign aid from private sources, which by conservative estimates is AT LEAST 35 billion. This is a difference in philosophy as much as anything. In the U.S., there is a stronger tradition that individualding significant military aid and military bases. It is long past time for most of these countries (especially given the end of the Soviet Union) to take primary responsibility for their security issues.
Sources:
Eurostat comparisons between U.S. and Europe:
http://www.eurolegal.org/uspoleur.shtml
Official Congressional Budget Office report on the role foreign aid in development:
http://www.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=8&sequence=0&from=1
“The Privatization of Foreign Aid: Reassessing National Largesse” from the journal “Foreign Affairs”:
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20031101facomment82602/carole-c-adelman/the-privatization-of-foreign-aid-reassessing-national-largesse.html
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Previous
