Aid in the New Cold War

Some of the world’s poorest people are paying for the War on Terror, as the aid by the world’s wealthiest countries comes to be ruled by their own interests.

According to a recent report from Christian Aid, ‘The politics of poverty: Aid in the new Cold War', the policies of donor countries are beginning to follow the form of the Cold War. Aid is being used to promote the donors’ own interests, rather than to support poor people.

Dr. Daleep Mukarji, director of Christian Aid, claims that programmes planned to help poor people have been cut, and budgets re-allocated. He added that moves currently being made between rich countries threaten to speed up that process and also dangerous possible consequences.

"Our message, however, is that it is not too late to re-kindle the noble, humanitarian aims of aid – to reduce world poverty. It is also a warning: if the rich world fails in this endeavour, then our future global security will also be undermined,”he continued. Dr. Mukarji also asserted that poor people must not be harassed again by the eventuality of a global strategy in which they don't have voice.

The report indicates the mistakes of the past and suggests they are about to occur again. Mentioning recent discussions in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as a example, it says that some forms of military training and intelligence gathering are now being regarded as legitimate areas to be funded from aid budgets.

This report also introduces a real example, the situation in Afghanistan. There US-led forces are waving the humanitarian flag and also fighting a war. As a natural result, aid workers are being killed and reconstruction is now on hold across the country.

(Source: www.ekklesia.co.uk)