US accused of using aid to sway votes in UN security council

[Judi Lynn]

US accused of using aid to sway votes in UN security council

Heather Stewart, economics correspondent
Sunday December 17, 2006
The Observer


The US uses its aid budget to bribe those countries which have a vote in the United Nations security council, giving them 59 per cent more cash in years when they have a seat, according to research by economists.

Kofi Annan, the outgoing UN Secretary-General, expressed his frustration at the power the US wields over the UN in his parting speech last week. In a detailed analysis of 50 years of data, Harvard University's Ilyana Kuziemko and Eric Werker provide the clearest evidence yet that money is used by the council's richest member to grease the wheels of diplomacy.

Anti-poverty campaigners reacted angrily to the findings. 'Aid should go to the people who need it, not as a political sweetener,' said Duncan Green of Oxfam. 'In recent years most rich countries have been making progress on this, but showering bribes on developing countries just because they sit on the UN security council is clearly a step backwards.'

Charities often complain that the US uses its aid as a political tool, and this new evidence of what the authors call 'vote-buying' will raise fears about whether the surge of aid money that was promised at last year's Gleneagles G8 summit will be fairly spent.
(snip/...)

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1973770,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12

[ncrainbowgrrl]

1. gee... that's surprising... (not). Way to go, Bolton!

:eyes:

[Zorra]

2. In a semi-perfect world

President Kucinich would put a stop to shit like this.

[IndianaGreen]

3. This is why the US opposed Venezuela's seating in the Security Council

They couldn't be bought!

[prole_for_peace]

4. i am shocked...SHOCKED i tell you....

the u s of a is such a honorable.... i couldn't even finish typing that. why do i hate 'murica?

[Quantess]

5. Yeah, what's the matter with you?

Bolton is just a really nice guy who gives away hugs.

[SpiralHawk]

6. republicons and payola go together like

male prostitute Jeff Gannon and his intimate friend George AWOL Bush

[legin]

7. Kick the u.s. out of the UN

It's the only logical thing to do.

[legin]

8. Either you have an organisation that is crippled

by the actions of a rogue superpower, or you bite the rather large bullet and free yourself to do what you should be doing.

[legin]

9. And kick out f**king britain too while you are at it n/t

.

[Robbien]

10. This is standard operating procedure for the US

The only difference now is that with all the bumbling around this WH does, everyone is becoming aware about how the US conducts business.