Half Of U.S. Foreign Aid Is Military

by Jim Lobe

As a result, much of the U.S. foreign-aid program may be working against the stated objectives of the administration of President Bill Clinton, including promoting sustainable development, protecting human health and bolstering democratic government.

A report by the Washington-based arms-control group, Council for a Livable World Education Fund asks "does the United States invest more in militarization than in development globally?"

In its findings, the report "Foreign Aid and the Arms Trade: a Look at the Numbers" declares the answer is a resounding 'yes.'"

In addition, at a time when Washington spent only about $1.25 per U.S. 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 it provides 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 U.S. weapons exports went to U.S. 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."

Of the total amount of aid provided in 1997, roughly 27 percent, or about $3.7 billion, was devoted to straight military assistance and training, and another 22 percent, or just over three billion dollars, went to a more ambiguous category called "security aid."

Most of the latter consisted of Economic Support Funds (ESF), which usually comes in the form of cash transfers (often to pay for U.S. 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 percent of U.S. 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 U.S. aid, or about $4.6 billion, went to development aid, including contributions to the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA), and the UN Development Program (UNDP) and Children's Fund (UNICEF).

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

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

The Middle East also received almost 90 percent of all U.S. military assistance and about 75 percent 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 U.S. conflict-related and development assistance; Europe and the FIS, about 25 percent; Asia, about 15 percent; and Latin America, about ten percent, according to the report.

Of the total aid bill, about one-quarter went to high-income nations, led by Israel which currently has a per capita GDP of $18,100, the 19th ranked country in the world. Indeed, the average Israeli citizen received the equivalent of more than $500 in U.S. aid in 1997.

By contrast, the average citizen of sub-Saharan Africa, the world's poorest continent, received the equivalent of about three dollars American aid in 1997. The report notes that even this aid is increasingly at risk.

With aid levels for the Middle East fixed and projected increases in anti-drug and anti-terrorism assistance, which, according to Whelan, is becoming increasingly militarized, development aid -- about one-third of which has gone to sub-Saharan Africa -- could be cut by up to 20 percent.

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

These include humanitarian and relief operations, advanced military training, some peacekeeping operations, and the transfer of surplus military equipment to U.S. allies. The report notes that these activities amount to "billions of dollars" more in aid that is not controlled by the State Department.

Compared to a decade ago, as the Cold War was winding down, the proportion of U.S. aid devoted to development and humanitarian aid has grown. In the late 1980s, U.S. military and security aid accounted for roughly two-thirds of all aid.