Australia leads in foreign aid in Pacific, USA lags behind China

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Expand view Topic review: Australia leads in foreign aid in Pacific, USA lags behind China

Re: Australia leads in foreign aid in Pacific, USA lags behind China

by Telamor » Tue Aug 14, 2018 1:23 am

In order to maintain their current status as the key security operator in NATO they would have to spend more if everyone was hitting their 2% because the US would need to operate more security infrastructure (think air-to-air refuelling, Intel satellites, and resupply capavilities) in order to prevent Europe building it up and operating without the US.

Re: Australia leads in foreign aid in Pacific, USA lags behind China

by Octavious » Sun Aug 12, 2018 6:38 pm

Telamor wrote:
Sun Aug 12, 2018 6:13 pm
Oct the USA hasn't spent more because other states were spending less and even should all NATO countries hit their 2% target we wouldn't see a cut in US defence spending.
You don't think that decisions on US military spending were at all influenced by European military defensive weakness and inability to provide meaningful allied offensive capability?

Imagine if you will a world in which European nations spent at, or even above, the levels they promised. A world in which par for the course for military intervention was a genuine alliance of western nations rather than the US and a few hangers on. We might never have reached the point where the US, correctly, has decided it doesn't need its allies. We might still live in a world international cooperation was valued. But Europe has thrown that away to save a few dollars.

Re: Australia leads in foreign aid in Pacific, USA lags behind China

by Telamor » Sun Aug 12, 2018 6:13 pm

Oct the USA hasn't spent more because other states were spending less and even should all NATO countries hit their 2% target we wouldn't see a cut in US defence spending.

Re: Australia leads in foreign aid in Pacific, USA lags behind China

by MajorMitchell » Sun Aug 12, 2018 5:34 pm

I'm going. Ta Ta. There's more fun to be had elsewhere.

Re: Australia leads in foreign aid in Pacific, USA lags behind China

by Octavious » Sun Aug 12, 2018 11:58 am

MajorMitchell wrote:
Thu Aug 09, 2018 12:57 am
Trump whines about allies "not paying enough", eg his criticisms of NATO nations not spending enough on defense.
Explain to me, please, why criticising allies for breaking an international treaty is considered "whining"? Trump has a great many faults, but one of his strengths is his ability to shine a light on difficult little situations that have been ignored by previous presidents because they are too difficult. Many NATO members have been screwing the US for decades, safe in the knowledge that the Yanks will look the other way for the sake of an easy life. Any idiot can make a bad deal, and much like Hugo Chavez of Venezuela got to play the big man on the world stage by giving away oil, US presidents have looked the big man on the world stage by giving away US taxpayer's money. As Venezuela has learned in recent years, international gratitude doesn't really add up to much. Trump knows this, and is instead pushing for a good deal now.

Imagine that Trump gets his way and the rest of NATO starts to pull their weight. Could any future president successfully argue to the American people that they should spend an extra $40 billion dollars on the military so that Germany doesn't have to? They'd be torn to shreds. And yet that is exactly what Obama et al have been doing for years.

Re: Australia leads in foreign aid in Pacific, USA lags behind China

by Randomizer » Sun Aug 12, 2018 4:15 am

Trump's doing foreign aid and defense like he runs his businesses with other people's money. He can cut taxes on the rich and himself at the expense of other programs.

Re: Australia leads in foreign aid in Pacific, USA lags behind China

by leon1122 » Sat Aug 11, 2018 11:10 pm

MajorMitchell wrote:
Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:44 am
The US journalist Brooks recently made an interesting comment about Trump, describing Trump as micro tough, but macro soft. Trump has been gabbling about China's growing power for quite some time. Does freedom of navigation in the South China Sea ring any bells Leon ??
No, it doesn't. I've heard Trump talk quite a bit about China's growing economic power. However, I have never heard him mention the South China Sea. Of course, I may be wrong since I don't listen to every speech he makes. That's why I asked you to provide a source.

Re: Australia leads in foreign aid in Pacific, USA lags behind China

by MajorMitchell » Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:44 am

The US journalist Brooks recently made an interesting comment about Trump, describing Trump as micro tough, but macro soft. Trump has been gabbling about China's growing power for quite some time. Does freedom of navigation in the South China Sea ring any bells Leon ??

Re: Australia leads in foreign aid in Pacific, USA lags behind China

by leon1122 » Thu Aug 09, 2018 8:43 am

MajorMitchell wrote:
Thu Aug 09, 2018 4:52 am
Daffy Donald Trump talks loud about confronting China's expansion in the Pacific, but it's actions that count, not irrational rants on Twitter.
Source, please. I've never heard Trump talk about confronting Chinese expansion in the Pacific, least of all on Twitter.

Re: Australia leads in foreign aid in Pacific, USA lags behind China

by MajorMitchell » Thu Aug 09, 2018 4:52 am

Japan also gives more in foreign aid in the Pacific than the USA. So Japan, New Zealand and Australia each invest more in foreign aid in the Pacific than the USA. China's "foreign aid" in the Pacific is about 80% "low interest loans" and is clearly an "entrapment in debt" strategy.
Daffy Donald Trump talks loud about confronting China's expansion in the Pacific, but it's actions that count, not irrational rants on Twitter.
If he's going to "call out NATO allies" on their purported lack of commitment, then surely he deserves to be "called out" on the dangerous failure to adequately fund the USA's foreign aid in the Pacific by allies like Japan, New Zealand and Australia.

Re: Australia leads in foreign aid in Pacific, USA lags behind China

by MajorMitchell » Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:11 am

I think even New Zealand delivers more foreign aid in the Pacific than the USA. The USA, one of the richest nations in the world, outspent in foreign aid in the Pacific by two much smaller nations & it's partners in the ANZUS alliance.

Re: Australia leads in foreign aid in Pacific, USA lags behind China

by MajorMitchell » Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:06 am

Australia should increase our Foreign Aid, not continue to decrease it. But the USA is just not delivering the foreign aid in the Pacific that it should if it wants to counter China's growing influence. Trump only seems to have a strategy of "sabre rattling" with trade tariffs and military threats. Yet the most effective tool, foreign aid programs are woefully neglected by Trump. It's time for the bloated buffoon Trump to be called out on foreign aid in the Pacific.

Australia leads in foreign aid in Pacific, USA lags behind China

by MajorMitchell » Thu Aug 09, 2018 12:57 am

The Lowy Insitute has released it's analysis of foreign aid in the Pacific. China is using foreign aid, but also "loans" to Pacific nations to increase it's influence in the Pacific. Despite the decline in Australian foreign aid, it clearly gives far more in foreign aid in the Pacific than China and the USA.
Trump whines about allies "not paying enough", eg his criticisms of NATO nations not spending enough on defense. Trump whines about China's growing power. Perhaps it's time Trump stepped up in the Pacific ? Compared to the USA, Australia is a small nation ( population about a tenth of the population of the USA, much smaller economy etc ) Should Americans be bloody embarrassed about their pathetic performance with foreign aid in the Pacific ?

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