Comments on: More aid for Pakistan http://www.owen.org/blog/252 Thoughts on development and beyond Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:50:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: am http://www.owen.org/blog/252/comment-page-1#comment-1128 am Wed, 17 Aug 2005 05:45:39 +0000 http://www.owen.org/blog/?p=252#comment-1128 So do you oppose aid to all countries which have military governments, or only to those where that aid can be used for a partisan slap at the US govt? <i><b>Owen replies:</b> I can't think of any military governments to which I would increase aid; and in most cases I think we should reduce aid. (Depending on what you call a "military government", I guess one candidate might be Rwanda. I am not saying that there are no circumstances in which we should give aid to a military government.) The accusation of a partisan slap is unfair. I <a href="http://www.owen.org/blog/2005/06/20/standing-up-for-democracy/">welcomed Ms Rice's speech at the time</a>, calling it "commendable". If the US Government announces a change of policy with considerable fanfare, it is surely not unreasonable to observe that nothing much seems to have changed?</i> So do you oppose aid to all countries which have military governments, or only to those where that aid can be used for a partisan slap at the US govt?

Owen replies: I can’t think of any military governments to which I would increase aid; and in most cases I think we should reduce aid. (Depending on what you call a “military government”, I guess one candidate might be Rwanda. I am not saying that there are no circumstances in which we should give aid to a military government.)

The accusation of a partisan slap is unfair. I welcomed Ms Rice’s speech at the time, calling it “commendable”. If the US Government announces a change of policy with considerable fanfare, it is surely not unreasonable to observe that nothing much seems to have changed?

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