Nederland en Afghanistan 29

Common Dreams heeft een bericht overgenomen van het persagentschap Inter Press Service: 'Remaking USAID for a Permanent War on Terror? OAKLAND, California - In a series of developments -- some more publicized than others -- the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, has been undergoing a transformation that will more closely align its activities with the State Department and the Pentagon. These changes could threaten the agency's original emphasis of concentrating on long-term social and economic assistance projects, and steer it toward greater involvement in more immediate political and military concerns, such as Pres. George W. Bush's war on terror. On Jan. 18, the Bush administration nominated Randall Tobias to serve both as the nation's first director of foreign assistance and as the head of USAID, the principal government agency that administers economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide. The new position at the State Department will oversee all U.S. foreign aid programs. (Tobias is slated to replace Andrew Natsios, the former head of USAID who recently resigned for a teaching post at Georgetown University.)' Lees verder: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0128-03.htm Dit is inderdaad 1 van de centrale vragen: wordt de oorlogsvoering betaalt door ontwikkelingshulp? Die vraag geldt ook voor Nederland. Weet u bijvoorbeeld hoeveel het militair avontuur in Afghanistan gaat kosten en waar dat geld ineens vandaan komt? Waarom is hierover niet uitgebreid en stelselmatig bericht door onze immer wakkere commercile massamedia?