A Blank Check

That's what it looks like we've given Pakistan when it comes to financial aid. Spencer Ackerman has an illuminating article in TPM Muckraker in which he claims that most, if not all, of the aid we send Pakistan is spent on whatever Musharaff wants. We give him $100,000,000 a month for his military needs and $200,000,000 a year for non-military needs.

Note that use of the word 'give' in the previous sentence. Unlike much of our aid to other countries, aid to Pakistan is not funneled through AID or some other agency; it's paid directly to Pakistan. And the only accounting is at an annual meeting which is secret. So, we have no idea how this money is being spent. We do know, however, that the military owns a fair share of Pakistan's economy. Is there a connection?

Pakistan ranks fourth in the amount of aid we have given other countries since 9/11. We've given $10.5 billion that can be traced. Only Israel, Egypt and Jordan have received more.

Then, you read a report about our relationship with Pakistan. The report, entitled "A Perilous Course ", by the Center for Strategic and International Studies argues that we have not been operating with a strategic goal(s) in mind; things have been very much ad-hoc and not at all aware of the importance of the relationship for at at least the next twenty-five years.