There are elements of U.S. foreign aid that, if not "implemented by leftists," are substantially monitored and shaped by progressive activists.
A good example is the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. This is strongly supported by, greatly shaped by, and heavily monitored by progressive activists. I agree that the slogan "Stop all foreign aid" is indefensible. We should stop bad "foreign aid," like agricultural dumping. Oxfam has a campaign on this, see "A Common Sense Food Aid Reform" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug-8ZJtKR8I There is a battle looming on plans to increase funding for the International Monetary Fund. This will be a great opportunity to attack bad "foreign aid." On Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 8:50 AM, Carrol Cox <[email protected]> wrote: > Carrol wrote: I think OPEN BORDERS is one of those rallying points. A > four-day week is another. Stop all Foreign Aid a third. All troops > within the 50 states another. Eliminate the Prison system. And so forth. > Keep conversation going on such topics within both local organizations > and national forums. > > ehrbar wrote: > > Carrol, I don't think the slogan "Stop all foreign aid" is defensible. > Since the US has historically emitted a huge amount of CO2 into the > atmosphere, the US owes the developing nations a lot of aid to > compensate them for the cost of climate change and to help them pursue a > development path based on renewable energy. Almost nobody is talking > about this, this is not part of common consciousness. If the Left > promotes the slogan "Stop all foreign aid" they co-operate with this > conspiracy of silence and put themselves in opposition to the > necessities dictated by the present climate emergency. See The > Greenhouse Development Rights Framework: The Right to Development in a > Climate Constrained World (executive summary) at > http://www.ecoequity.org/GDRs/GDRs_ExecSummary.pdf > > This is the third time I have enountered this argument though the > occasion was different each time. > > I can't remember the details of the first time, but it involved and > exchange between me and an ISU professor of political science who had > been in Nicaraguar shortly before the Sandinistas took power. He thought > we should urge the U.S. to provide aid to Nicaragua; I suggested that > the best thing the U.S. could do for Nicaragua was leave it alone. He > argued vigorously that the country was so poor, the earthquake had done > so much damage, that they could not possibly survive without u.s. aid. > > Well we know that the U.S. sent aid in the form of the Contras. > > The second debate on this issue I remember. Shortly aftert the U.S. > invasion of Iraq there was a discussion on another list over the proper > position of the anti-war movement. Several writers urged that the left > pressure the u.s. government to repair the damage it had done before > leaving. Part of the evidence for this position was a poll in Iraq which > showed that a large majority of Iraqi citizens held this position, while > only 14% were for immediate withdrawal. But of course the longer the > U.S. stays, the greater will be the damage that must be repaired, the > more likely will be a savage civil wqr after the u.s. departs. The U.S. > nevere repairs the damage it has done but simply increases the damage. > > Really, it has to be understood that U.S. foereign aid always has been, > is now, and always will be destructive to the people of the nation > receiving the aid. That aid will not be supervised by leftists, it will > be implemented by those who believe that Africa is insufficiently > polluted. U.S. aid under the slogan of renewable clean energy will in > practice simply increase the pollution in the nations aided. When > anything like a coherent left comes into existence in the U.S. it will > show its solidarity with u.s. victims by a campaign anagainst the u.s > having anything at all to do with those victims. > > Carrol > > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > -- Robert Naiman Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org [email protected] "It's 11 AM in Washington. Do you know where your foreign policy is?" _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
