The Empire 254

'After more than a year of reporting and research, combing through thousands of foreign lobbying records and haggling with government officials over Freedom of Information Act requests, we have published one of the most comprehensive resources on U.S. military aid and assistance in the post-9/11 era. "Collateral Damage" couples the reporting of 10 of the world's leading investigative journalists on four continents with a powerful database combining U.S. military assistance, foreign lobbying expenditures, and human rights abuses into a single, easily accessible toolkit.
Collateral DamageU.S. hands out vast sums of money to combat terrorism while ignoring human rights records; lobbying key to funding flowsWASHINGTON, May 22, 2007 — Five years after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the influence of foreign lobbying on the U.S. government, as well as a shortsighted emphasis on counterterrorism objectives over broader human rights concerns, have generated staggering costs to the U.S. and its allies in money spent and political capital burned. >>

A Lobbying Bonanza
Indonesia hired well-connected firms to restore U.S. funding cut off after 1991 massacre

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2007 — A long string of human rights abuses had put Indonesia in a deep hole with the United States, but then the September 11 terrorists struck. Suddenly the hole got shallower. >>

Billions in Aid, With No Accountability
Pakistan receives the most post-9/11 U.S. military funding, yet has failed to ferret out al Qaeda, Taliban leaders

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2007 — The runaway winner of the post-9/11 race for new U.S. military aid dollars is Pakistan, but where did the money go? Human rights activists, critics of the Pakistani government and members of Congress all want to know, but most of the money — totaling in the billions — came through a Defense Department program subject to virtually no congressional oversight. >>

Sustaining an Unpopular Regime
In the Philippines, U.S. aid has helped bolster a government whose military is tied to extrajudicial killings

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2007 — A huge post-9/11 increase in U.S. military aid to the Philippines has helped counterterrorism efforts, but critics say there have been major downsides for a nation that's routinely criticized for human rights abuses. Among the accusations is that the strengthened Philippine military persecuted and killed scores of political activists. >>

An Alliance Gone Bad
Thai government's cooperation in war on terror brought in U.S. dollars — and the CIA

BANGKOK, Thailand, May 31, 2007 — It was only two months before the 2003 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Bangkok — President Bush would be attending — and Thai soldiers and police had the building surrounded. Their mission: to nab one of the world's most wanted terror suspects, the man thought to be one of the masterminds behind the spectacular nightclub bombings in Bali that had killed more than 200 people a year earlier. >>

A Repugnant Choice
In dealing with Uzbek dictator, U.S. buys access to air field — even after eviction

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2007 — Uzbekistan presents one of the clearest examples of the paradox confronting the United States in its war on terror: As it pursues Islamist extremists around the world, it sides with a repressive despot out of what is perceived as military necessity. >>
Top 10 U.S. Military Aid RecipientsThree Years After 9/11
Country
Total
Israel
$9,094,874,000
Egypt
$6,025,456,540
Pakistan
$4,152,654,219
Jordan
$2,670,414,688
Afghanistan
$2,663,783,836
Colombia
$2,048,565,665
Turkey*
$1,324,923,070
Peru
$445,825,971
Bolivia
$320,682,000
Poland
$301,136,119

CountryTotal

COLOMBIA $42,267,391

ISRAEL $33,194,309

MEXICO $29,148,963

JAMAICA $24,906,160

ETHIOPIA $22,175,930

ANGOLA $17,189,149

INDIA $12,313,055

THAILAND$10,305,844

TURKEY $9,551,616

SOUTH AFRICA $8,386,878



-->* The $1 billion grant made to Turkey through the Economic Support Fund for fiscal year 2003 was rescinded in 2005. '

Zie: http://www.publicintegrity.org/militaryaid/