An increasingly well-known U.S. human rights law barring American military assistance to foreign security forces that commit crimes like murder, kidnapping, rape, and torture has played an important role in encouraging Central and South American countries to crack down on these crimes.
Following the State Department’s budget request to boost military aid to Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine for FY 2016, the Defense Department appears to be following suit with a request to increase military assistance through its European Reassurance Fund to these countries. The aim of the aid to Georgia is “to defend themselves and to enable their participation as full operational partners within NATO…” and “strengthen deterrence against aggressive actions by Russia….”
U.S. faith leaders have stated their support for the peace process in Colombia, and they have some recommendations for how the U.S. can adjust its aid to help the country’s effort for peace. On Monday, 32 faith-based leaders released a letter through the Latin American Working Group (LAWG) calling for the United States to support civilian institutions and civil society over the military.
As President Obama prepares to discuss U.S.-Tunisia security cooperation to combat extremism on Thursday with President Beji Caid Essebsi at the White House, Obama will surely highlight his proposed increased U.S. military aid to Tunisia. For FY 2016, the U.S. plans to allocate $99 million in security assistance to Tunisia, which is a three-fold increase over FY 2014.
For years, Afghanistan has been rated one of the most corrupt countries in the world and the massive infusion of foreign aid, including military and police aid, has often exacerbated, if not fueled, the problem. To help countries furnishing aid to countries like Afghanistan, Transparency International’s new report, Corruption: Lessons from the International Mission in Afghanistan provides helpful insights and recommendations on how to reduce these problems and consequences.
The U.S. House of Representatives is poised to eliminate a key Obama Administration counterterrorism initiative to provide military aid to the Middle East and Africa this week because of lingering questions about the administration’s plan and strategy for the newly created Counterterrorism Partnership Fund (CTPF).