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Home Front
U.S. Urged To Simplify Foreign Aid Structure
2003-11-01
By Peter Slevin, Washington Post Staff Writer
From WaPo - © 2003 The Washington Post Company
The Bush administration should overhaul its approach to foreign aid and streamline a bureaucratic structure that is growing unwieldy with the addition of new programs and layers of authority, the largest U.S. alliance of international development organizations contends. InterAction, which represents 160 aid groups, alleges a fragmentation of foreign assistance and "a loss of coherence in the field as multiple federal agencies pursue similar goals with little coordination." The consortium also warns in a report to be released today that new projects and the increasingly expensive reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan are coming at the expense of long-standing humanitarian and development needs. In the White House budget request for the coming year, InterAction reports, $350 million was cut from other accounts to complete the funding of $2.1 billion in new initiatives.
Part of the budget process is setting priorities. Even in the federal budget, where the dollars flow in breathtaking quantity, there are only so many dollars. New, high priority requirements are supposed to edge out lower priority requirements.
"As Congress further pares back the administration’s funding request, a Hobson’s choice has emerged between funding for core development programs versus high-profile new initiatives and emergencies, such as HIV/AIDS, conflict prevention or post-conflict reconstruction," the InterAction report contends. InterAction’s members include such organizations as Save the Children, World Vision International, Mercy Corps, Catholic Relief Services and Oxfam America. The report comes amid a debate over the goals and function of U.S. foreign aid.
Given the membership of InterAction, I think we can guess how the debate's going to line up...
Next year, President Bush’s pledge to "lead by example" is scheduled to begin with the funding of the Millennium Challenge, designed to reward countries that battle corruption, reform their economies and channel help to their people. The program, pledged to deliver $5 billion annually by 2006, is joined by Bush’s promise to contribute $15 billion over five years to fight HIV/AIDS in 14 countries. The leaders of InterAction’s member organizations welcome the expanded efforts but see an "increasingly stark gap between funding rhetoric and reality." In calling for a full-scale review of U.S. foreign assistance programs, the aid consortium contends that "flaws" of the U.S. Agency for International Development have "largely been ignored" as separate government entities have been created to manage fledgling projects. "Foreign aid activities in the field are scattershot," the report maintains, "as representatives of as many as five separate U.S. agencies may be carrying out activities on HIV/AIDS, for instance, often without the knowledge of the U.S. ambassador, the USAID mission director or appropriate local government officials."
Reorganizing Aid efforts would probably make a lot of sense as I’m sure there are overlaps and gaps - there seem to be a lot of cooks in the kitchen. What surprises me most (How naive I am - is everyone else aware of this???) is this:
Interaction is composed of NGOs who receive US Foreign Aid, our tax dollars, and they are playing politics in unconcealed attempts to undermine US Foreign Policy - especially in Iraq.

Hmmmm. How, um, fascinating. I recall watching an Oxfam Int’l spokesdink on the BBC who relentlessly bashed the US and Bush for the Iraqi War - this was while it was in progress. It was very personal and very offensive. And I distinctly recall that Oxfam pulled out months ago. And these assholes get to distribute and take credit fo my tax dollars? Do I get a refund if they pull out? Grrrrrrr. Damn right it’s time to reorg how our money is spent - and especially by whom.
Posted by:.com

#8  Let's make it real simple - eliminate ALL the "foreign aid" money, force the NGOs to make do solely on donations, offer all "military assistance" as training and familiarization only, and stop wasting untold billions of dollars on our current and future enemies. Let the NGOs eat dirt and actually perform some physical work for a change.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2003-11-1 11:37:46 PM  

#7  Once Rumsfeld is finished with the DOD I would like to see the State Dept, CIA and USAID reconstituted.

If a study is going to be done on fixing USAID, please feel free not to get input from OXFAM and all the other NGOs. That would be like asking HR Block to give input on tax reform.

I have not been a big fan of USAID, but its function could be critical for American PR. In that interest I would have all foriegn aid be delivered through a person wearing a snazzy USAID shirt. I don't see any PR value in passing the cash through anti-American groups like OXFAM or any arm of the UN.
Posted by: Super Hose   2003-11-1 8:30:09 PM  

#6  Frank: the money to Egypped isn't aid money, it's control money. We provide military and civilian aid to keep the Egyppians from doing stupid things like attack Israel. We haven't conditioned the money on having them shoot all the mullahs who blabber on about the Jooooos, since that's seen as a safety valvue for a dictatorship.

So don't think of it as aid, think of it as a leash. Now, where did I put that choker chain?
Posted by: Steve White   2003-11-1 2:44:03 PM  

#5  In researching this before posting I went through the USAid site. You guys may find these links interesting, they come from the main USAid site (http://www.usaid.gov)
Note that you can view the USAid contracts awarded in Iraq, thusfar from here.

The Greenbook - who we've loaned or granted money to 1946 - 2001. Yes! Org'd by country...
http://esdb.cdie.org/cgi-bin/broker.exe?_program=gbkprogs.ctypage_1.sas&_service=default

The Yellowbook - who we've given contracts to for 2001 - 2002 on the way. Prev years unknown.
http://www.usaid.gov/business/yellowbook/
Note that on this page you can check out monies disbursed to West Bank and Gaza orgs by USAid via the "Asia and Near East (ANE)" link to that USAid Mission's page. Fascinating reading - including the program for higher education - some of which was to be awarded by the US people killed recently.

Note that this ONLY covers USAid activity. More money goes out via other avenues. We sure are some nasty sumbitches, giving out money, and much / most of it in outright grants. No WONDER everyone hates us. A measly half-trillion, unadjusted for inflation, so prolly closer to a full trill. Shit, we're phreakin' skinflints! Y'know what? I think I hate us too. I think I'll go out a buy a t-shirt or bumper sticker. Tomorrow.
Posted by: .com   2003-11-1 2:28:56 PM  

#4  Get the money from Europe.

The head of Oxfam could cut his/her salary, isn't it in the 7 figure range???
Posted by: Anonymous-not above   2003-11-1 12:30:10 PM  

#3  And even then, it'll never happen. = awaiting Senate approval.
Posted by: Raj   2003-11-1 12:23:35 PM  

#2  Egypt receives several billion a year yet criticizes us whenever possible in official media and government officials. It also allows the smuggling of weapons, drugs and prostitutes into gaza. I vote Egypt off the aid island
Posted by: Frank G   2003-11-1 12:15:42 PM  

#1  Here's a simple criteria: if you support us, you get aid. If you don't support us, you don't get aid.
Of course, this being the federal government, it'll take a "blue-ribbon bipartisan commission", millions of dollars, and a couple of years to figure that out. And even then, it'll never happen.
Posted by: tu3031   2003-11-1 11:37:30 AM  

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