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The Unholy Trinity of Defense, Diplomacy and Development in the War on Terror: A report investigating the question of how the U.S. has prioritised it's political and military agenda over the needs of the poor around the globe, and how it's responsibility with foreign needs to change.

Spring 2006 - Anuradha Mittal, The Oakland Institute, Policy Brief

Link to the full report

Extract from the introduction:

For decades U.S. foreign aid has been accused of prioritizing U.S. political and military agenda over the needs of the poor around the globe. Now, the Bush administration has declared this to be the official foreign assistance policy of the United States.

Changes in the way the U.S. directs foreign aid, announced by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in January 2006, bring the administration of aid under the control of the State Department and tie foreign assistance to U.S. strategic military interests. This move marks the Bush administration’s abandonment of any attempts at subtlety in their efforts to undermine growing opposition to the Washington Consensus.

The foreign aid changes include the creation of a new post, “Director of Foreign Assistance” (DFA) who will report directly to the Secretary of State. The DFA’s mandate is to oversee the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator and the Millennium Challenge Corporation as well as head the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), bringing the agency under State Department’s control and placing a single official in charge of coordinating about $19 billion worth of U.S. foreign assistance programs. A closer look reveals the true aim behind this organization: align aid agencies with the military interests of the U.S. government.

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