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Note: This document is from the archive of the Africa Policy E-Journal, published
by the Africa Policy Information Center (APIC) from 1995 to 2001 and by Africa Action
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Africa: Rethinking U.S. Aid to the Middle East
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Africa: Rethinking U.S. Aid to the Middle East
Date Distributed (ymd): 950216
Announcement posted 2/16/95
On January 31st, representatives of non-governmental
organizations concerned with promoting peace and development
in the Middle East released a proposal to stimulate dialogue
among U.S. policymakers and the public about the most
effective use of U.S. assistance to the region. They suggest
that a virtual entitlement for Egypt and Israel serves neither
the best interests of the region nor those of the United
States.
Acknowledging the vital importance of security to all the
countries in the region, the report takes as a starting point
the need for reconfigured aid to support durable peace and
stability. It views the continued high levels of military aid
and escalating arms sales as destabilizing and suggests that
arms reduction agreements, curbs on arms sales, and a
phase-down of military aid are essential. It also suggests
that turbulence and extremism are likely to continue until
development initiatives are undertaken to respond to the needs
of the many marginalized people in the region and until
opportunities for political participation are opened to them.
Since such a high proportion of U.S. aid has been earmarked
for military aid to Egypt and Israel, with these allocations
virtually unquestioned in the political mainstream, the fact
that such issues are being raised is relevant to groups
concerned with budget allocations to development, and to
African development in particular.
Although the proposal "does not anticipate an immediate,
complete restructuring of assistance to the region but rather
a gradual phase-in of changes over a period of time as the
peace process progresses and as conscious- ness of the
advantages of working together as a region increases within
and among countries," it would "result over time in the
reduction of overall levels of assistance for Egypt and
Israel, as well as the rejection of recent calls for increased
military aid to Jordan."
The document is entitled "Toward a Safer Future for the
Children of Abraham: Proposal for Restructuring U.S. Aid to
the Middle East" and is available from the Coalition to
Rethink U.S. Aid to the Middle East.
Organizations with representatives in the study group which
prepared the proposal include Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (Office for Governmental Affairs), Church World
Service/Lutheran World Relief (Office on Development Policy),
World Vision, American Near East Refugee Aid, CARE
(Washington Office), Friends Committee on National
Legislation, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (Washington Office),
Project on Demilitarization and Democracy, Bread for the
World,National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.,
and Churches for Middle East Peace.
To receive a hard copy of the proposal contact the Office on
Development Policy, Church World Service/Lutheran World
Relief, 110 Maryland Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002, tel.
(202) 543-6336, fax (202) 546-6232.
For either a hard copy or an electronic version send an email
request to:
[email protected] or [email protected].
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This material is made available by the Africa Policy
Information Center (APIC). APIC's primary objective is to
widen the policy debate in the United States around African
issues and the U.S. role in Africa, by concentrating on
providing accessible policy-relevant information and
analysis usable by a wide range of groups and individuals.
APIC is affiliated with the Washington Office on Africa
(WOA), a not-for-profit church, trade union and civil rights
group supported organization that works with Congress on
Africa-related legislation.
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