Of Human Bondage and Foreign Aid
About that awkward human trafficking report, Saudi Arabia:
President Bush decided Wednesday to waive any financial sanctions on Saudi Arabia, Washington's closest Arab ally in the war on terrorism, for failing to do enough to stop the modern-day slave trade in prostitutes, child sex workers and forced laborers.
And the rest:
Bush concluded that Bolivia, Jamaica, Qatar, Sudan, Togo and the United Arab Emirates had made enough improvements to avoid any cut in U.S. aid…Cambodia and Venezuela were not considered to have made similar adequate improvements. But Bush cleared them nonetheless to receive limited assistance…
Which leaves:
Myanmar, Cuba, and North Korea as the only nations in the list of 14 barred completely from receiving certain kinds of foreign aid…The White House statement offered no explanation of why countries were regarded differently.
Not that I think the State Department's report on human trafficking was a good idea to begin with, but spending a year compiling a report on reasons not to give North Korea, Myanmar and Cuba foreign aid seems slightly unnecessary.
Whole thing here.
Link via Mark Kleiman.
