USAID!
Over the past 51 years, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has grown into a powerful multi-billion dollar political-cum-military weapon in the hands of the American establishment.
Over the past 51 years, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has grown into a powerful multi-billion dollar political-cum-military weapon in the hands of the American establishment. USAID's charter is explicit: To serve the foreign policy interests of the United States. USAID is a big business in Pakistan. In fact, USAID is a billion dollar per year wrangle — and that is more money than OGDC, MCB, Pakistan Petroleum, PTCL, PSO, Engro, Fauji Fertilizers, SNGPL, Lucky Cement, Indus Motors and Pak Suzuki collectively make in one year.
In 2009, USAID contracted out its five-year, $80 million jobs project. USAID contracted out a $89-million four-year FIRMS project. USAID contracted out a $30-million five-year trade project. Roger Bate, a former director at the London-based Institute of Economic Affairs, claims that “data from USAID's Buy American Report indicates that over the last decade between 70 and 80 per cent of funding appropriations were directed to US sources.” Rubén Berríos, the author of 'Contracting for Development', claims that only a “few cents of every dollar of foreign aid ends up in the Third World.”
On February 9, 2012, Rolf Rosenkranz of Devex, the organisation focused on reducing inefficiencies in the field of international development, asked the all-important question: “Can USAID afford a 90 per cent failure rate?”
President Kennedy's stated objective behind the creation of the USAID was to separate military aid from development aid. According to Eva Golinger, the author of 'The Chavez Code', over the years USAID “merely became an additional fund for the CIA to dip into for covert interventions.” William Blum, a former employee of the US Department of State, maintains that there exists “a close working relationship with the CIA, and that Agency officers often operated abroad under USAID cover (Killing Hope: US military and CIA Interventions Since WWII).” More recently, a former editor of The Japan Times asserted that the “CIA, through USAID, is running a disinformation campaign on Japan's earthquake crippled nuclear facilities.” Corruption also runs rampant. This is what, USAID achieved under its $150 million Fata Livelihood Development Programme: USAID trained two-dozen truck drivers to read road signs. USAID transported cattle from central Punjab to improve the breed in Fata. For $150 million USAID distributed 278 Ravi Piaggio motorcycles, 10 tractors, 12 threshers, nine reapers, 10 trolleys, six MB ploughs, six cultivators, 210 spray pumps and 20 auto sprayers. This is what USAID achieved under its $3.3 million HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Project: USAID “provided services to 78 HIV-positive individuals and their 276 family members.” Then there was the 'Kabul bank fraud' in which USAID lost a wholesome $850 million. On May 11, 2011, US House Republicans told Dr Rajiv Shah, USAID's administrator, that USAID's “efforts in Haiti have been a failure.” According to David Reef of The New Republic, “USAID has provided a total of $28 billion in economic and development assistance to Egypt” but USAID's undertakings in Egypt have been a total failure. On February 9, 2012, Rolf Rosenkranz of Devex, the organisation focused on reducing inefficiencies in the field of international development, asked the all-important question: “Can USAID afford a 90 per cent failure rate?”
Dr Farrukh Saleem