Where Is The Money?

The Bush administration's promises to rebuild Afghanistan and Iraq and to help developing countries remain unfulfilled

American public opinion has turned edgy in recent days over the US presence in Iraq. According to the most recent CNN/USA Today poll conducted by Gallup, just 56% of respondents believe that the Iraqi invasion was worth the cost - down from 76% in early April. Moreover, a small majority now believe that things are either going "not very well" or "not well at all" in Iraq.

The public's reaction is understandable given the continued attacks on US and British forces and continuing press reports of an ongoing crisis in public services and law and order. What is surprising is that so little money and resources have been committed to such important problems.

The rebuilding of Iraq, the reopening of her oilfields, the quelling of public unrest and the eventual establishment of stable government are all critical to Washington's foreign policy success and to President Bush's re-election in November 2004. Yet journalists and aid workers returning from Baghdad speak of water and food shortages, frequent power cuts, looted hospitals and growing public anger. Why, we wonder, isn't Washington throwing billions of dollars at the problem?

The situation in Afghanistan is not so dissimilar. Promises to rebuild the country's shattered irrigation systems and to build road, schools and hospitals have led to little or no measurable improvement in living standards. No one seems to know where the promised funds have gone.

More than a year ago, poor nations in Africa and elsewhere were offered a new deal through the establishment of the Bush administration's Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), a $5-billion-a-year development fund whereby countries promoting human rights, democracy and free market trade would be offered preferential aid status. Today, the MCA isn't yet open for business.

Securing Iraq and Afghanistan and winning allies in the Third World will require more than soldiers and promises. The greatest weapon the West can wield in its war on terror is money. Money that can alleviate inhumane living conditions, rekindle lost hope and establish the US as a friend and protector of the poor.