Remember that little $4 Billion present from Uncle Sam you were all waiting so breathlessly for? Hate to splash some proverbial "cold water" on that hope, but someone in Washington has come up with a crazy idea of adding "strings" to your present - please understand that "strings" when it comes to Federal largess is a time honored tradition.
I must add a sobering note that in my opinion, having such "strings" as requiring "transparent accounting, fair elections and respect for human rights" while indeed noble, in every respect, seems to me a bit like watching an accident play out in slow motion, all over again. We just know how its going to end and we won't be any wiser for it. That's the value of lessons learned. We learn and forget just as quickly.
This time around, Uncle Sam is going to try and be a bit more clever by running a majority of those designated funds through NGOs and well meaning organizations who are experts in international development. Apparently, this is the path that's being favored over good old fashioned gifting it to the governments. How do you feel about this "new and improved" Federal aid distribution process, does it give you warm fuzzy feelings? Perhaps the Northern Triangle countries will be overjoyed at seeing Uncle Same taking a well meaning stab at international fiscal responsibility. Maybe not. I recall, some years ago, we threw untold amounts of Federal aid at a Haiti relief effort and then later, much to our "horror" we read accounts of fiscal accountability run amuck.. Maybe that was just a bad dream. Let's hope I am so wrong about all this but memories are short in Washington.
#internationalrelations #government #politicsandlaw #democracy #humanrights #accounting
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-03-10/biden-to-restrict-u-s-aid-to-central-american-governments-set-new-conditions-for-money
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