The impact of the war on terror on aid flows
Source: ActionAid
The war on terror had had an impact on aid and is undermining development policy. Aid decisions are increasingly being weighted in terms of security and foreign policy rather than on humanitarian goals.
Although aid budgets are increasing, the aftermath of the war on terror may absorb all of the increase and more. Some donors are already cutting programmes elsewhere to pay for their commitments for rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq. This means that there will be less assistance for the poor.
The war on terror is like a new Cold War where everything is subordinated to a single purpose. NGOs that don’t fit in with this purpose may face problems.
The increasing subordination of development programmes to foreign policy in the EU and elsewhere may lead to the millennium development goals being replaced by questions about security.
The lack of an adequate definition of terrorism has led States to define their opponents as terrorists and to use very broad definitions in new legislation. The new legislation is sometimes so broad that it can and is used against community based organisations.
The failure of developed countries to uphold basic human rights standards, on such issues as detention without trial means that they are poorly placed to raise human rights issues in third countries.
Advocates for change not only risk persecution from repressive governments using anti-terrorism legislation against them, but also from conservative elements within communities who may wrongly perceive advocacy for change as part of a wider anti-Islamic agenda.
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