foreign aid news stories on Newser

We're Wasting Billions in Afghanistan Aid

John Johnson — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:50:00 CST

The US has poured $73 billion in reconstruction aid into Afghanistan since 9/11, but only a small fraction of that has reached the intended recipients, writes a former government auditor. "Where has all the money gone?" asks James R. Petersen, who worked in Afghanistan and later with the US agency...

The Danger of Ron Paul

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:43:16 CST

The popularity of Ron Paul's anti-government zeal should give Democrats and Republicans alike a reason to pause, Nicholas Lemann writes in the New Yorker . First, consider how radical a Paul presidency would be: IRS and income tax abolished; no foreign wars; no foreign aid; five federal departments gone ... and so...

Perry Smacks Obama's Push for Gay Rights Abroad

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 07:51:32 CST

Rick Perry was quick to jump on President Obama's decision yesterday to use foreign aid to fight for gay rights , calling it "not in America's interests," ABC News reports. "Just when you thought Barack Obama couldn’t get any more out of touch with America’s values," this news breaks, Perry complained...

US Will Use Foreign Aid to Push Gay Rights

Matt Cantor — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:53:29 CST

President Obama has ordered US agencies abroad to use foreign aid to fight for gay rights. "I am deeply concerned by the violence and discrimination targeting LGBT persons around the world," Obama wrote in a memorandum, calling the effort "central to the United States' commitment to promoting human rights," the...

Clinton Dangles Aid to Burma

Kevin Spak — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:54:17 CST

Hillary Clinton had what she described as a “candid, productive” meeting with Burma President Thein Sein and other officials in Naypyitaw today, offering support for more aid to the country, and dangling the possibility that the US might lift sanctions and station an ambassador there for the first time in...

Romney: Obama Threw Israel 'Under the Bus'

Kevin Spak — Fri, 20 May 2011 07:42:06 CDT

President Obama is taking some heat for his speech on Middle Eastern policy , particularly the section on Israel, in which he advocated a return to Israel’s pre-1967 borders . “President Obama has thrown Israel under the bus,” Mitt Romney declared in a statement. “He has disrespected Israel and undermined its ability...

GOP Budget Would Kill 70K Kids: USAID Chief

Rob Quinn — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 03:30:17 CDT

House Republicans' version of the budget deal to keep the government running would cause the deaths of at least 70,000 children around the world who depend on America aid, USAID chief Rajiv Shah testified yesterday. The agency predicts that 30,000 will die because of the scaling back of...

We Want to Cut Foreign Aid— and Expand It

Matt Cantor — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 13:59:05 CST

Americans think foreign aid should be the first casualty of budget-trimming, a poll shows—but we also want it to be 10 times what it is now. That’s because most Americans think foreign aid makes up a quarter of the federal budget, and want to cut it to 10%. In...

North Korea Begs West for Food

Kevin Spak — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 11:59:05 CST

North Korea is so hungry that it has, for the moment at least, abandoned its trademark bluster and started begging foreign governments for food, the Washington Post reports. But the US, which was the largest provider of food aid to North Korea until it shut off shipments two years ago,...