Foreign Aid — No Strings Attached

Jay

Executive Branch Member
Jan 7, 2005
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Well I support foreign aid...but we have to attach strings to it.
 

Reverend Blair

Council Member
Apr 3, 2004
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Winnipeg
RE: Foreign Aid — No Stri

Why do we have to attach strings, Jay? The corruption argument does't stand up...our corporations have helped to drive that corruption. The trade argument doesn't stand up...those policies have a lot to do with why there is a debt crisis right now.
 

Reverend Blair

Council Member
Apr 3, 2004
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RE: Foreign Aid — No Stri

Military aid is not the same as foreign aid though, Jay. Traditionally our aid is purpose-specific (food, drugs, mega-projects, etc). The strings happen when we demand that certain economic theories be followed or that our products/services are purchased at a higher rate than could be obtained locally.
 

Jay

Executive Branch Member
Jan 7, 2005
8,366
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Well, you probably know more about how it works than I do....

I support those kinds of ideas though. We need to help them, but the help has got to be useful and well directed.
 

The Philosopher

Nominee Member
Re: RE: Foreign Aid — No Stri

Reverend Blair said:
Military aid is not the same as foreign aid though, Jay. Traditionally our aid is purpose-specific (food, drugs, mega-projects, etc). The strings happen when we demand that certain economic theories be followed or that our products/services are purchased at a higher rate than could be obtained locally.

The fact is, these countries are in debt for more reasons than the Curse of the White Man. Take Nigeria. It has one of the largest budgets in the world, the largest population in Africa, and are oil rich. Yet with all of this they stay in debt to G-8 and even with their budget are incapable of exercising any useful programs.

I did a blog about "the problem of Africa." Africa has an interesting problem where "money will not buy change" and yet they need to change to use that money well. Because if they do not with all of the debt spending they do they will be in the same debt in another few years.
 

Reverend Blair

Council Member
Apr 3, 2004
1,238
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Winnipeg
RE: Foreign Aid — No Stri

Nigeria is an interesting case all right. It's where Halliburton was paying bribes. Dick Cheney might end up in a French jail for that yet. The matter is being investigated in France, England, the US and Nigeria.

What you are ignoring, Philosopher, is that the corruption runs both ways and the same policies that precipitated the debt crisis in the developing world are pushing the United States and other G-8 countries into a debt crisis of their own.