Clark Wants More Foreign Aid

[DoveTurnedHawk]

A new book by Wesley K. Clark, the retired Army general running for president, calls for a major expansion in U.S. foreign assistance programs and establishment of a Department of International Assistance to manage the initiative.

"Focusing our humanitarian and developmental efforts through a single, responsible department will help us bring the same kind of sustained attention to alleviating deprivation, misery, ethnic conflict and poverty that we have brought to the problem of warfare," Clark writes.

In a searing critique, Clark accuses the Bush administration of carrying out a wrenching turn in U.S. foreign policy away from traditional American principles. He cites what he says has been an overemphasis on unilateralism and overreliance on the U.S. military to pursue the notion of "a new American empire."

Clark argues for adoption of "a more collaborative, collegiate" U.S. strategy marked by renewed cooperation with such international organizations as the United Nations and NATO and backed by substantial economic and political development aid.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14400-2003Sep28.html

DTH

[MattNC]

1. foreign aid: the key to winning the war on terrorism

n/t

[DoveTurnedHawk]

6. Absolutely Right (eom)

DTH

[DeaconBlues]

2. The only real way to win hearts and minds

is to make people's lives better. Goodwill cannot be created through the barrel of a gun.

[KittyWampus]

3. ClarK Addresses & Repudiates PNAC

And yet there are some on this board who insist he is shilling for it.

He cites what he says has been an overemphasis on unilateralism and
overreliance on the U.S. military to pursue the notion of "a new American empire."

[IndianaGreen]

4. How much aid does Clark want for the Urribe regime in Colombia?

Or the Arroyo regime in the Philippines?

What are Clark's views on Plan Colombia, or on the use of American mercenaries (DOD and CIA contractors) in counterinsurgency wars in Latin America and Southeast Asia?

How about some specificity?

[tinnypriv]

5. Forget it

He'll stick with the platitudes if he knows it is going to work.

[Dookus]

7. tell us exactly

what the positions of the other nine candidates on these issues are, please.

[MariMayans]

8. doesn't someone have to say it eventually..

We are plowing guns into Colombia to fight the "war on drugs" and we are at the same time proping up the new government of Afghanistan which is more or less an open Narcostate as part of the "war on terrorism".

How far can they push this sort of cognitive dissonance?

[RandomUser]

12. I think that's the point of the new department

Currently, our foreign aid approach is spread out and diffuse, without much directed purpose. Consolidating it allows us to steer it to create measureable results. He can hold back the money if nations don't agree to modernize or democratize. A centrally controlled department allows him to direct and manipulate foreign aid to achieve desired results in a failing state. I'm pretty sure he won't give those countries a blank check. The military discipline believes in "accountability" and that's what he's trying to bring to politics. His position is that Bush, and all politicians, need to be held accountable for what happens during their watch. That's the way it works in the military. Accountability.

[Aidoneus]

13. that military discipline's "accountablity"

yet somehow the DoD "lost" some $2,300,000,000,000.. not the kind of accountability I would boast about..

[TAH6988]

16. Damn

DoD Civilians! :-)

[private_ryan]

14. pardon the guy for not mentioning each of the 200+ countries

separately.

[Loyal]

9. I'm against the principle of foreign aid, currently,

because as long as we have people starving here in America, we have no business sending our money overseas. Spend it here. Feed the homeless, etc. Get my drift?

[RandomUser]

11. Look at it as an investment

Don't look at it as just shoving money away, consider the overall strategy. Let's say N.Korea or Iran starts getting nukes, or if another Balkan/Africa/wherever nation starts a genocidal war of ethnic cleansing. What happens? People will be clamoring for us to intervene militarily. This new department gives us an alternative. We can use our "soft power" to change these regimes instead of our "hard power" of armed forces. Guess which works out to the cheaper way on American wallets and lives? And this nets us free good will as a bonus. Having a carrot and stick approach is a much better, effective, and efficient use of our energies and money than to just have a carry a big stick approach and being reactive at the mercy of events. It fits with Clark's philosophy of preventative maintenance. Stop a problem from becoming a problem in the first place. Exactly like how he's approaching healthcare with funding for "executive fitness" programs (like the ones in the military) of preventative healthcare so people won't get sick or get cancer in the first place.

[RandomUser]

10. Department of Peace

Notice the new department he's forming? The Department of International Aid? By Jove, I think he's proposing a Department of Peace! Good idea. We need a carrot to go with our stick (DoD).

[rman]

15. with 30% going to Israel... more is better, for some

well, Israel is a developping nation, isn't it? or is it.