Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
I don't like foreign aid for the same reason I don't like domestic welfarism: its wastes scarce resources and breeds dependency. Other than Lend Lease-like foreign aid given to governments so that they may wage war against aggressive belligerents and, therefore, contribute to our own national security, the distribution of aid to foreign nations should be phased out completely. This is the ideal. However, as Tom Berenger's character in Platoon once said, amidst a tide of expletives: "There's the way it ought to be and there's the way it is." Given the ideal state of affairs, what actions should be taken to improve our current state of affairs, i.e., advance of current state towards our ideal state?
Apparently, our foreign aid, in the form of billions in money and armaments, to the Mubarak contingent has been distributed unconditionally. Is this not a squandering of a tremendous opportunity? From what I've read, Mubarak and his cohorts, in their minds anyway, depended heavily upon U.S. aid. This suggests that they would have been willing to fulfill certain conditions in order to complete the transaction. Well, since the Egyptian government's human rights record is atrocious, if we are going to continue to dispense foreign aid to them (and we are still scheduled to this year), then why not attach certain conditions to the procurement of our aid such as the granting and protection of legal rights to Egyptian citizens. In addition to having Egypt's heads of state perform back flips, somersaults, and mess with hula hoops under the supervision of State or Defense Department personnel, why not compel the Egyptian government to make self-expression, written or spoken, exempt from restrictions or remove some of its international trade barriers. The sky's the limit when it comes to which conditions the federal government can impose. Its social engineering that I can embrace.
This is an approach that should be applied to all of our foreign aid recipients. Imagine the possibilities.
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May '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
Let's make foreign aid contingent upon this: Any country that cannot produce clean drinking water cannot receive foreign aid, because if they lack the organizational ability to do something as simple as produce clean drinking water, the aid will certainly be wasted.
Edited on Feb 13, 2011 at 7:13pmJan '11
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
Why do we provide foreign aid? Out of the goodness of our hearts, or for more self-interested reasons?
Oct '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
have you heard of Bush's Millennium Challenge Account?
It was Carter who entered the US into this deal with Egypt to encourage them to make peace with Israel, and the US has been stuck with this ever since.
Bush's MCA OTOH, which is separate from the Carter-Egypt deal--aid giving from the US to foreign countries is conditions based (if the country improves on human rights, good governance, civil liberties, and reducing corruption).
So this is already done Labeit, but not surprisingly bush doesn't get any credit for it, and the media doesnt report it, so nobody knows about it.
May '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
John Marzan: It was Carter who entered the US into this deal with Egypt to encourage them to make peace with Israel, and the US has been stuck with this ever since.
Bush's MCA OTOH, which is separate from the Carter-Egypt deal--aid giving from the US to foreign countries is conditions based (if the country improves on human rights, good governance, civil liberties, and reducing corruption).
So this is already done Labeit, but not surprisingly bush doesn't get any credit for it, and the media doesnt report it, so nobody knows about it.
The link of my that you include in your comment claims that "The administration of former president George W. Bush had threatened to link military assistance to Egypt’s human rights progress, but it didn’t follow through. When exiled Egyptian dissident, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, called on the U.S. government to attach conditions to aid to Egypt, U.S. officials dismissed the idea as unrealistic."
May '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
There you have it.
Oct '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
When exiled Egyptian dissident, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, called on the U.S. government to attach conditions to aid to Egypt, U.S. officials dismissed the idea as unrealistic."
That article was from sept 2008. by that time, bush was politically done with zero political capital left. would have been great if saad ibrahim addressed that issue to the likely winner Obama, but obviously nothing happened and the US foreign policy in egypt remained in status quo.
But before bush's political fortunes went kaput, he and blair at least were able to push for reforms and democracy in nuclear pakistan and help transition them from military to civilian rule. and he did try to encourage egypt to reform as well before he used up all his political capital on the iraq surge in 2007.
but again, let me state that what you are recommending is already in place and implemented in other countries. but now it will be easier for obama to break the status quo and use that egypt aid to help build secular democratic institutions there.
May '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
John,
It appears that the imposing of such conditions, given the havoc in Egypt, has proven to be insufficient in a few key places.
Dec '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
When said aid was started we were trying to woo Egypt away from the USSR. Putting strings on aid is not a good way to woo.
Aug '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
Let's make foreign aid contingent upon 75% of US citizens being able to correctly identify the recipient country on a map!
Jul '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
Ha! I bet we could use that approach to keep states from getting bailed out by the feds.
Feb '11
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
We've been there-done that. Wilson called it "moral diplomacy." That worked well-not.
Jul '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
Hey, I've got an idea. Let's make foreign aid contingent upon our being able to pay for it.
When you're $1.4 trillion dollars in deficit, handing out foreign aid is an unaffordable luxury.
Aug '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
Hey Kenneth, I stay off Ricochet for a few weeks and you change your avatar? What gives? That picture of you was iconic (ok, maybe not as iconic as Flownover, but still...)
Jul '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
Welcome back, Frozen. Here's your answer....
May '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
I thought it was just a low-budget witness protection program.
Jun '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
I'm all for this, but since we are talking about reality, the fact is that the first thing these recipients do if rebuffed is go find the money elsewhere (as the Soviet example was given above). They will always follow the path of least resistance. It's a lousy situation. Nowadays, anywhere we are not, China is the one that swoops in. I find it to be a no-win situation where giving aid is often the lesser of two evils. These troublemakers always sell to the highest bidder. They do not see aid as an act of goodwill that restrains them to a particular loyalty. This is realpolitik at its best.
Jul '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
Well, since we're borrowing the money from China anyway, why not cut out the middleman?
Jun '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
Michael Labeit, Outstrip, Fullfrontal, John Marzan...so Israel would be the only country receiving foreign aid from the USA, under your conditions. OK, I'm good with that.
Dec '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
Hear, hear.
Setting aside for the moment the immediate practical issue that we currently must borrow everything we give away to anyone, for whatever reasons, "moral diplomacy" not only has not worked, it is contrary to a foreign policy philosophy that does work, Realpolitiks.
Jun '10
Re: Let's Make Foreign Aid Contingent Upon Civil Liberties
Touche!
Kenneth
Well, since we're borrowing the money from China anyway, why not cut out the middleman? · Feb 14 at 6:48pm