Where Some Of Our Foreign Aid Money Goes

Embarrassing Moment Playboy Son Of A African Dictator Has £5Million In Supercars Seized From Outside His Home -- Daily Mail

Eleven supercars worth up to £5 million pounds have been seized from outside an African dictator’s Paris mansion as part of a foreign aid money-laundering investigation.

The vehicles, which included two Bugatti Veyrons, a Ferrari 599 GTO and a Maserati MC12 are all registered to Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the president of Equatorial Guinea.

Read more ....

My Comment: Unbelievable .... but not surprising.

Poverty Does Not Breed Extremism -- An Analysis

Report: Poverty Does Not Breed Extremism -- Fareed Zakaria, CNN

Since 9/11, a decade ago, Washington has given the government of Pakistan more than $20 billion in aid. Two- thirds of that has gone to the military to fight the war on terror. The other third, about $6 billion, has gone for development of Pakistan's civilian economy and society.

The theory behind many of those billions of dollars is that by bringing Pakistan's poorest out of poverty and despair, fewer young men will be seduced by radical Islam.

Read more ....

My Comment: I am usually in disagreement with Fareed Zakaria .... but in this post he hits it on the head of the nail when he talks about U.S. aid to Pakistan. On top of that, some are also saying that US aid could (in fact) be destabilizing Afghanistan in the long term .... that article is here.

Some Countries Do Not Deserve Foreign Aid

U.S. Offers Foreign Aid to Countries Holding Billions in Treasury Securities -- FOX News

The United States is providing hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign aid to countries that it borrows billions from, according to a report by Congress's research arm.

The Congressional Research Services released a report last month, a copy of which Fox News exclusively obtained, showing that in fiscal year 2010, the latest year that data was available, the U.S. handed out a total of $1.4 billion to 16 foreign countries that held at least $10 billion in Treasury securities, including China ($27.2 million), Brazil ($25 million), Russia ($71.5 million), India ($126.6 million), Mexico ($316.7 million) and Egypt ($255.7 million).

Read more ....

My Comment: Two things surprised me in this report .... (1) Egypt holding $15.3 billion in U.S. Treasury bills, and (2) the U.S. wants to give more.

Being An International Aid Worker Is Becoming A Dangerous Job

Sri Lanka, Iraq, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and occupied Palestinian territories are tough for aid workers. AFP

Violence Against Aid Workers Has Surged, Report Says -- L.A. Times

Violent attacks against humanitarian aid workers have tripled during the last decade, with more than 100 deaths reported annually, according to a study commissioned by the United Nations.

Violent attacks against humanitarian aid workers have tripled during the last decade, with more than 100 deaths reported annually, according to a study commissioned by the United Nations.

The report shows that the highest toll has been among aid workers in areas of armed conflict, including Afghanistan, Sudan and Somalia. Since 2005, there have been 180 major attacks against aid workers in Afghanistan, 150 in Sudan and 100 in Somalia, according to the report released this week called "To Stay and Deliver."

Read more ....

More News On the Dangers Of Being An International Aid Worker

U.N. highlights attacks on aid workers -- UPI
Attacks and interference heighten humanitarian risks -- AFP
Violent attacks against humanitarian workers triple in last decade: OCHA study -- People's Daily Online
UN report says more than 100 aid workers killed annually, neutrality can help -- Washington Post
UN: More than 100 aid workers die every year -- M&C
UN declares Pakistan, Afghanistan insecure for aid workers -- Central Asia Online

Corruption At A Major Foreign Aid Organization Raises Concerns About Other Aid Groups

Tarnished Aid Fund Says Others In Worse Shape -- Washington Times/AP

GENEVA | A $21.7 billion health fund championed by the rich and famous has come under harsh scrutiny amid revelations that it's bleeding money to corruption. But fund officials and outside analysts in the field have a stark message for global development: Other aid agencies are in much worse shape.

"The others should follow our lead," the fund's inspector general, John Parsons, said Monday at a news conference organized by the fund's top officials to discuss an Associated Press story about $34 million in losses in several African nations.

Read more ....

My Comment: Foreign aid is one of those many tools that not only alleviates world suffering, but it also helps to stabilize regions that would otherwise descend into conflict and war. Any disruption in aid .... through corruption or incompetence .... would only escalate any possibility of conflict.

Some NGOs Implicated (Again) In Supporting Terror Organizations

Daniel Sierra Martinez, Nelly Avila Moreno and Nicolas Montoya, former members of FARC, the Colombian terrorist group. Getty Images

The FARC And The 'Peace Community' -- Wall Street Journal

In Colombia, a former guerrilla commander says that in "peace communities" controlled by NGOs, the population was exploited and peace-niks helped the terrorists.

As the U.S. prepares to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan on a mission that will include defending a civilian population in a narco-economy, Colombia's experience with drug traffickers and terrorism may be instructive.

The testimony of the former second in command of the 5th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which operates in the banana-growing, drug-trafficking region known as Urabá, could serve as Lesson One.

Read more ....

My Comment: The same can be said about Hamas in the Gaza strip, and the support that they receive from NGOs. Hundreds of millions flow into Gaza each year in the form of aid and assistance, but the people who administer this trade .... and who are paid for their efforts .... are Hamas members.