Tag: foreign aid

US Military Assistance to Central Asia Highly ‘Opaque’

U.S. military assistance to key Central Asian governments has increased dramatically in recent years but remains highly “unexamined,” according to new research presented in Washington on Tuesday. Military assistance, which stood at around 5% of all U.S. aid to the region during the 1990s, today constitutes nearly a third the total. This added up to … Continue reading “US Military Assistance to Central Asia Highly ‘Opaque’”

Obama Requests Higher Foreign Aid for 2013

Despite strong pressure to reduce the yawning federal deficit, the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is asking Congress for a slight increase in funding for the State Department and foreign aid next year. The administration is requesting a total of some $56 billion in “international affairs” spending for fiscal year (FY) 2013, which begins … Continue reading “Obama Requests Higher Foreign Aid for 2013”

Obama Puts Bombs Before Bread

The television warned that some images might be graphic. What ensued was footage of children and babies, some wailing, most eerily quiet in mothers’ arms, skin and bones and two breaths closer to death. The children of Somalia are dying from starvation. In a region of the world that has been wracked by natural and … Continue reading “Obama Puts Bombs Before Bread”

Obama’s Child Soldiers

“When they came to my village, they asked my older brother whether he was ready to join the militia. “He was just 17 and he said no; they shot him in the head. “Then they asked me if I was ready to sign, so what could I do—I didn’t want to die.”  This is the … Continue reading “Obama’s Child Soldiers”

Buying Friends Creates More Enemies

Last week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and I had the opportunity to raise some of my concerns regarding U.S. foreign policy and the costs of our interventionism around the world. Many observers claim that the recent overthrow of governments in northern Africa and the Middle East will … Continue reading “Buying Friends Creates More Enemies”