U.S. To Unveil Large Aid Package To Win The Hearts Of Pakistanis -- McClatchy NewsISLAMABAD — The U.S. will announce Monday hundreds of millions of dollars worth of civilian aid projects for Pakistan, American officials said, in an attempt to demonstrate that Washington has broadened its relationship with the country, away from just anti-terror cooperation to helping the people of Pakistan.
Hillary Clinton, on her way to a key international conference in Afghanistan, will unveil a raft of U.S.-funded development projects Monday. They will cover sectors including water supply, electricity production, agriculture and health, as the U.S. implements its pledge to triple civilian aid to key ally Pakistan. The previous administration of President George W. Bush had focused most aid on Pakistan's military, which then ruled the country, causing resentment in the country that felt it was being manipulated to further U.S. goals.
Read more ....
My Comment: How do I know that this will be a waste of money .... because we are putting money into a society that still believes behaving like this is the right thing.
On top of trying to influence a culture that is alien to us ( as we are to them) .... aid to Pakistan has a long history of little oversight and plenty of corruption. I can only expect this rotten tradition to continue.
Sigghhhh .... the U.S. is hopelessly confused with what is happening in this region, and borrowing money from China to now give it to Pakistan is a perfect symbol of how confused this policy has become.
2 comments:
I think that Pakistan is a place that we necessarily focus upon especially when China has announced its plan to build a transnational railway there. It does not matter whether they stone to death their women (OK, it matters, but not that much in the sense of great power politics). If the money we use on them is borrowed from China, then I would say it is a good investment.
Thank you Roger for your comment.
The joint China-Pakistan railway project has more to do with national security and defense against India than anything else.
On the topic of giving aid to other countries .... in the past I had no problems with this .... but not in the environment that we are in today. Trillion dollar deficits are not sustainable .... and if it continues will not only be destructive to us .... but also to those who expect us to assist them when they are in trouble.
In short .... lets focus on helping the home front first, before running around the world and trying our best to change and save them.
Post a Comment