Aid 'cheaper than war'
2006-09-04 10:18
Washington - Former US president Bill Clinton called on Sunday for the US to sharply increase foreign aid, suggesting it was important in fighting terrorists and "cheaper than going to war".
Saying the US government gives a little more than $10bn a year in real aid - excluding things like military aid and aid to Egypt and Israel under the Camp David accords and - Clinton said Washington should be offering a lot more.
"We should be giving about $60bn a year. And in a budget that's what, over two trillion dollars, it's no money, really," he said in an interview with CNN television.
"And it's much cheaper than going to war. We've already spent over $300bn in Iraq alone.
"So spending this money to be in a world with more partners and fewer terrorists and more possibility for growth and more prosperity for Americans is a very inexpensive thing to do."
'We need to do our part'
He said the US should be giving aid at the target level set by the UN of 0.7% of gross national income. In 2004, total US government foreign aid of $19.7bn, including all types and recipient countries, hit only about 0.17 percent of gross national income.
"In the Cold War we gave less farm aid because we spent more on the umbrella defense of the rest of the world ... But now that the world is much more complicated, we need to do our part. And we ought to hit that 0.7% aid target."
"Most Americans believe we spend far more of our federal budget and far more of our national income on foreign assistance than we do. If Americans knew how much we spent and knew that we could get good value per dollars, I think they would strongly support this."
While few developed countries come close to meeting the 0.7% target, according to figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the US has one of the lowest levels.
However, in terms of private aid abroad, the United States is recognised for being one of the world's most generous, with donations by private citizens and organisations each year surpassing government aid by some estimates.
- SAPA