Bribery at UN: Has Ghana Sold Her Vote?

[Robbien]

New York - Developing countries that succeed in winning a seat on the UN Security Council may reap economic benefits from rich countries, particularly the United States, that are willing to buy their votes, a Harvard study says.

Foreign aid receipts to those countries may increase in time of conflict and political crises around the world because the main payer - the United States - would need their votes in the 15-nation council, two Harvard economists say.

'On average, a non-permanent member of the council enjoys a 59- per-cent increase in total aid from the United States and an 8-per- cent increase in total development aid from the United Nations,' the study says.

In dollar terms, the study says a developing country serving on the council expects to receive during its tenure an additional 16 million dollars from the US in foreign aid and 1 million dollars from the UN. The aid may increase in time of crises: 45 million dollars from the US and 8 million dollars from the UN.

The study says a country's strategic interests have a causal impact on the way foreign aid is distributed, which explains why aid for poverty alleviation does not always work, since humanitarian concerns are not a priority when governments decide on their aid package.

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=109574

[xchrom]

1. lol -- so that's how that nut job bolton does it.

you knew it wasn't his diplomatic skills.

[acmavm]

2. Where's the money coming from? Is this the missing billions from

the Pentagon or the missing billions from Iraq?

Has to be from some secret stash because the US Treasury is broke.

[Robbien]

3. Comes from the foreign aid budget

Probably from the money pledged for other causes such as Tsunami relief or Africa AIDs, both which have not been honored by the US.

[acmavm]

4. Okay, where does that money come from? You are not following

what I am saying. We are what, 7 trillion dollars in debt? We can't afford adequate hardware for our troops in a war zone. We can't afford medical care for them when the get back. The entire infrastructure (from out ports to the operation of US highways paid for by the tax payer) are being sold to foreign countries, the government was just prevented from selling off the trees in the old historic sequoia forest in California, the commodities program for the elderly and the poor has been shut down, medicare and medicaid have been gutted, and a thousand other things have happened to show that this is an administration desperate for money. What assets we had have been spent on two wars that we cannot pay for and that will require more money as time goes on. You mentioned the our foreign aid committments that haven't been met. Why do you think that might be? Maybe because there is no money? So where is all this bribe money coming from? There was money. Billions upon billions that has been looted from the Pentagon and the Iraq war chest.

That money went somewhere. I think it went into secret slush funds that these criminals use for things just exactly like this. Bribes, arms deals, drugs deals.

[Robbien]

5. You just listed where the money is coming from, the sale of our assets.

Our roads, natural resources, ports, airports, etc. all being sold off in order to pay for the wild spending spree going on by our government.

Our humanitarian pledges are just that, pledges. Just a trick to get good PR but never meant to be honored.

And you are right, corruption is running rampant. Our assets are also being sold to fund the corruption.

[acmavm]

6. Exactly, that and the stolen money. Not from 'Foreign Aid' funds.

There are NO foreign aid funds. There are no domestic aid funds.

There are no funds.

[htuttle]

7. Sure we have funds

The printing presses still work at the mint, don't they?

:sarcasm:

[acmavm]

8. They sure do. And the money they print is worth just about as much

as that money you get in a game that has that one card in it that says "go to jail, go directly to jail, do not collect..."