Members of the United Nations Security Council vote on an Egyptian-drafted resolution regarding recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem, during a meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including Palestine, at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Reuters: Arab states believe U.S. aid secure despite defying Trump Jerusalem move
AMMAN/CAIRO (Reuters) - Leading Arab allies threatened with cuts in aid by Donald Trump said on Friday they had no choice but to defy the U.S. president over his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and did not believe he would follow through.
More than 120 countries, including every Arab nation, voted at the U.N. General Assembly late on Thursday to urge the United States to withdraw its decision, announced earlier this month.
Trump threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favor of the U.N. resolution, drafted by Egypt and supported by all members of the U.N. Security Council except Washington.
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WNU Editor: I think everyone is missing the real reason why President Trump threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favor of the U.N. resolution condemning the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem. It was to not only tap into growing American public frustrations over what some perceive to be a world of freeloaders when it comes to U.S. foreign aid, but President Trump's threat was to also start the debate on what should be the purpose of American aid, and under what conditions and expectations it be given under. Howard LaFranchi has a good analysis on this discussion, and it can be read here .... In overwhelming UN vote on Jerusalem, a reality test for Trump's tough talk (Howard LaFranchi, CSM).
5 comments:
We really really didn't want to do it, honest. HA HA AHA HA HA HA.
If your going to cut foreign aid, you do it for the reasons you mentioned already; freeloading. That's just one, amongst a list of other reasons; corruption, aid money getting into the hands of undesirables, aid money not being used for aid, waste of taxpayers dollars.
If your going to have a debate about it, you go and conduct a debate with these merits in mind.
You give Trump far too much credit in trying to raise awareness about this issue and I believe you fail in seeing the big picture here.
Now that they've voted in favor of the UN resolution, any move, debate or gesture in cutting aid will be wholly ineffective and overshadowed by what Trump did.
What did Trump do?
He tried to use a threat to influence votes in a democratic institution. That's what it comes down to. And any debate, gesture against foreign aid will be overshadowed by that.
Trump wants to cut foreign aid? Trump wants to have a debate? Trump wants to raise awareness? Do so, while giving your political enemies ammo to use against you.
He just gave his political opponents everything they needed really.
Optics is everything in politics, as you yourself stated many times. It surprises me you do not see the error in this.
Yes. Foreign aid is a joke. Yes, the United States in addition to the United Kingdom and others contribute a substantial amount of foreign aid which often equates to bribes.
Yes. There should be a debate about foreign aid, and it should be cut, if not altogether eliminated in certain parts.
No. Using a veiled threat regarding foreign aid is the worst possible way to have a debate about this. And before you or someone else says, "Well, it's serving its purpose. We are talking about it now aren't we?" I'll remind you that for every person who mentions that, there are 10 others who are shaking their heads that Trump did what he did and the way he did it will completely overshadow any progress made on any debate to be had about this touchy subject.
I agree. We give Trump too much credit, just like we often give Putin too much credit..both are just humans and "flawed" at best
"Nine states – including the United States and Israel –voted against the resolution. The other countries which supported Washington were Togo, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Marshall Islands, Guatemala and Honduras."
The Guardian
"1. So the first thing to say about Trump’s threat is that almost nobody really needs US aid, because Washington gives out so little.
In fact, Germany has a fourth the population of the US, and the UK has a fifth, and each gives out almost $20 bn. in aid, so that those two countries actually account for nearly as much aid as the whole US."
https://www.juancole.com/2017/12/reasons-threats-jerusalem.html
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gQZoSy08d3o
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gQZoSy08d3o
"You will not cut us off because we are too necessary and we do not need the aid anyway because it is so little." There are some contradictions built in those two views.
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