Development aid versus military spending - a lopsided disaster - by RM

There is something terribly wrong when you look at these charts, in particular when you compare that to what our political and corporate executive "leaders" want you to believe, about all the good they do in promoting health, peace and prosperity around the world.

If we look at the  5 largest economies in the world, and their latest official figures, re: their military budgets this is what we see. Mind you, these "official" figures are just the top of the iceberg, governments do have a history of hiding some military expenditures in other budgets.

China :  $ 146 billion
EU:           220
India           53
Russia        69
USA         639
Total    $ 1.1  trillion

Please note that the figures above do not include the overall global expenditures, as to military spending, which was $ 1.8 trillion in 2018

 In comparison the total amount of development aid provided to countries in need (OECD figures), to military expenditures  is quite alarming.

 One thing is certain, however, politicians, corporate executives and economists should keep in mind what Abraham Lincoln once said: "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time ".  

This EU-Digest report can only be copied or  republished if EU-Digest is quoted as the source

Tanks, Jets or Scholarships? - by Thomas L.Friedman

"And so it came to pass that in 2012 — a year after the Arab awakening erupted — the United States made two financial commitments to the Arab world that each began with the numbers 1 and 3. 

It gave Egypt’s military $1.3 billion worth of tanks and fighter jets, and it gave Lebanese public-school students a $13.5 million merit-based college scholarship program that is currently putting 117 Lebanese kids through local American-style colleges that promote tolerance, gender and social equality, and critical thinking. 

I’ve recently been to Egypt, and I’ve just been to Lebanon, and I can safely report this: The $13.5 million in full scholarships has already bought America so much more friendship and stability than the $1.3 billion in tanks and fighter jets ever will".

Tanks, Jets or Scholarships? - NYTimes.com

The Netherlands: Dutch halt euro 20 million aid program to Suriname over undemocratic amnesty vote

The Netherlands will suspend all financial aid to Suriname, the Dutch foreign minister said on Wednesday, in protest over its former colony's decision to grant amnesty to the suspected killers of 15 opponents of President Desi Bouterse 30 years ago.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that the amnesty vote by Surinamese lawmakers last week was “totally unacceptable”, and warned at the time that the decision would have serious consequences. 

The Netherlands recalled its ambassador immediately after the vote and in a further sign of protest, Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal said on Wednesday that the government plans to suspend 20 million euros ($26 million) of aid to its former colony.

For more: Dutch halt aid to Suriname over amnesty vote - World News | IOL News | IOL.co.za