A suggestion by a U.N. official that the world's richest nations were "stingy" irritated the Bush administration, especially when U.S. aid for Asia's earthquake is expected to eventually rise from the millions to more than $1 billion. The comment reopened the question of how to measure American generosity. The answer ultimately depends on the measuring stick. | With me it raised the quest of how to measure ingratitude... |
Natsios said the Pentagon also is spending tens of millions to mobilize an additional relief operation, with C-130 transport planes winging their way from Dubai to Indonesia with pre-stocked supplies of tents, blankets, food and water bags. As of early Tuesday, dozens of countries and relief groups had pledged $81 million in help for South and East Asia, said the Geneva-based U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The United States uses the most common measure of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a group of 30 rich nations that counts development aid. By that measure, the United States spent almost $15.8 billion for "official development assistance" to developing countries in 2003. Next closest was Japan, at $8.9 billion. That doesn't include billions more the United States spends in other areas such as AIDS and HIV programs and other U.N. assistance.
Measured another way, as a percentage of gross national product, the OECD's figures on development aid show that as of April, none of the world's richest countries donated even 1 percent of its gross national product. Norway was highest, at 0.92 percent; the United States was last, at 0.14 percent. Such figures were what prompted Jan Egeland - the United Nations' emergency relief coordinator and former head of the Norwegian Red Cross - to challenge the giving of rich nations. "We were more generous when we were less rich, many of the rich countries," Egeland said. "And it is beyond me, why are we so stingy, really.... Even Christmas time should remind many Western countries at least how rich we have become."
So far, he said, pledges of assistance for the emergency relief effort have reached tens of millions of dollars. "The international assistance has been immediate and generous," Egeland said. "The U.S. at US$15 million (euro11 million) is one of the most generous pledges so far. It is exactly what we need to get started... but we will need very substantive pledges. The damage will be in the billions of dollars."
Egeland told reporters Tuesday his complaint about what he feels is the insufficient generosity of rich nations wasn't directed at any nation in particular. But Powell clearly took umbrage while making the rounds of the morning television news shows. He said he wished Egeland hadn't made the comment and reaffirmed that the Bush administration will follow up with assistance that could stretch into the billions of dollars. The White House also defended the U.S. record of giving. "We outmatch the contributions of other nations combined; we'll continue to do so," Bush spokesman Trent Duffy told reporters in Crawford, Texas, where the president is spending a post-Christmas vacation at his ranch.
| Yeah, but Egeland's point is that we have to. My point is that we don't. Generosity is not an obligation. While I feel great sympathy for the people effected, I'm still fighting the urge to tell them to hold a bake sale or something. |
Take care, Tranzi Fascists.
