By Nyasigo Kornel
The delay of US in offering money from Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) has raised skeptical look on their aids to Tanzania, some thinking that their aids are always win-win synonym, says Government official from Ministry of Finance whose name is closed for anonym.
He says that the hidden intelligence behind Tanzania being selected among the few African countries that would benefit from MCA was United States’ lobbying to trap Tanzania in sending military to Somalia.
“Contrary, there wishes have been blocked, President Jakaya Kikwete knowing its negative side effect only offered military cadet training to Somalia transition government, this does not please US, there is silent withdrawal from their MCA promise to Tanzania,” says the official.
Last year Tanzania had a visit of Vice President of Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) John Hewko with other MCA delegates of which prior to their visit Tanzania had already selected among the countries qualifying for MCA.
Arrival of MCA vice President and directors, with such a military budget of US, Tanzania and other African countries will wait for MCA money until the third millennium.
Stop waiting for MCA and start working on your own; of course United State thought that by promising Tanzania that amount of money we would send military to Somalia.
Bravo Kikwete, these are satanic money that may bring curse to the nation.
Editorial in the Times newspaper challenged President Bush for having chosen to spend billions on tax cuts for wealthy for Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) and huge military expenditure instead of keeping America's promises.
The paper reports that US’ new military budget for the year 2007/8 is USD 480 billions which is bigger in 10 per cent if to compare with last year budget.
This budget is 120 times Tanzania’s budget for the year 2006/2007.
At the same time US request more money for Iraq, Afghanistan and antiterrorism operation.
The paper reports that last October Bush requested USD 100 billions and in new financial year he requested more USD 145billions, this means that for only one year and half they are going to spend USD 245 billions for Iraq, Afghanistan and antiterrorism operation.
A total military spend is USD 726 billions that is equivalent to 940 trillion Tanzania shillings.
He is also facing challenge over his military budget spends that increases yearly despite of doing away with cold war that has been a great worry to US.
Pro. Masero Sylvanus a retired scholar in Afro-American affairs says that the so called poor countries like Tanzania have their eyes attentive to get the MCA opportunity, alleging that poor countries may not get the promise out of the money for US is already overloaded with its military budget.
He says that President Bush pledged billions of dollars in aid to poor countries when he created Millennium Challenge Account five years ago, the MCA is between a rock and hard places for there are more countries, less money and transformational challenge, yet it remain a development myth to African countries.
Robert Borosage is an analyst and person who campaigns for the future of US reported saying that US Congress answered the President's call by enacting the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) proposal into law in June 2003, appropriating $1 billion for MCA activities in 2004 and $1.5 billion in 2005. The great promise of the Millennium Challenge Account was met with tremendous hope and anticipation by the international community and the developing world.
Robert Borosage worries that the current thinking in Washington on US military spending is largely shaped by an elite policymaking community, which includes the president and the executive branch, the Pentagon, Congress, policy analysts and, of course, the media.
He says that since the end of the Cold War, America's policymakers have debated about the proper role of US military forces in the world and the appropriate level of US military spending.
Budgetary pressures have amplified the call for defense cuts, but the Clinton administration has said defense spending is "off the table," while the Republican Congress has pushed for actual increases in military spending; now it is flying over and over, that skeptics question of what is this burden?
Meanwhile, the American public has been largely a silent partner in this debate.
Borosage admits that a quick look at the top ten military spenders reveals that the United States far outspends the rest of the world. Most of the countries in the top ten are, in fact, US allies.
Worldwide military spending has steadily declined from a high of USD1.3 trillion in 1987 to USD840 billion recently, he says.
Currently, the USD 726 billion US military budget is a staggering one-third of the worldwide total, and it is going up. The Pentagon plans to steadily increase military spending through the year 2007.
But what are the threats to US security that justify increased military spending?
Policymakers often point to the so-called "rogue states," such as Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Syria and Cuba, as potential adversaries. However, when compared to the military budgets of potential adversaries, US military spending dwarfs the spending of all of them combined.
The rogue nations, the ones the Pentagon points to as supposed threats like Iran, Iraq, Cuba, and North Korea collectively spend about USD15 billion on their military each year.
Borosage says that US spends over USD 726 billion. None of them have a weapon its allies except perhaps Cuba have a weapon that can even reach our shores. So, there is no threat that justifies this military spending if your concern is the defense of the United States.
Another area where the public differs from policymakers on military spending is the Pentagon's post-Cold War strategy. For decades, the United States positioned large numbers of troops in Europe and Asia to contain the spread of communism. Today, the threat of the Soviet war machine is gone, yet US troops remain stationed abroad at their Cold War era outposts.
For instance, the United States keeps 100,000 troops in Europe and another 100,000 in Asia as part of the Pentagon's two-war strategy. This strategy calls for the United States to be prepared to wage two large-scale wars at the same time.
Americans want to keep the strongest military in the world and, of course, have it, by far. One of the problems with that is that, of course, it then allows other countries to be free riders, and we're seeing that increasingly where our allies really don't maintain a fair share of the burden. And there is this, quite generalized phenomenon where countries are happy to allow Americans to carry a lot of the weight.
Borosage raises awareness of the public that if US sustain this course and the projections are we will sustain military spending at about this level, he thinks over the next decade, you will see more and more our economy paying the price for having schools that are not top-notch, for having sewer systems that don't work, for having roads and bridges that are inefficient, for not doing the research and development that keeps US ahead of the curve economically.
The delay of US in offering money from Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) has raised skeptical look on their aids to Tanzania, some thinking that their aids are always win-win synonym, says Government official from Ministry of Finance whose name is closed for anonym.
He says that the hidden intelligence behind Tanzania being selected among the few African countries that would benefit from MCA was United States’ lobbying to trap Tanzania in sending military to Somalia.
“Contrary, there wishes have been blocked, President Jakaya Kikwete knowing its negative side effect only offered military cadet training to Somalia transition government, this does not please US, there is silent withdrawal from their MCA promise to Tanzania,” says the official.
Last year Tanzania had a visit of Vice President of Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) John Hewko with other MCA delegates of which prior to their visit Tanzania had already selected among the countries qualifying for MCA.
Arrival of MCA vice President and directors, with such a military budget of US, Tanzania and other African countries will wait for MCA money until the third millennium.
Stop waiting for MCA and start working on your own; of course United State thought that by promising Tanzania that amount of money we would send military to Somalia.
Bravo Kikwete, these are satanic money that may bring curse to the nation.
Editorial in the Times newspaper challenged President Bush for having chosen to spend billions on tax cuts for wealthy for Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) and huge military expenditure instead of keeping America's promises.
The paper reports that US’ new military budget for the year 2007/8 is USD 480 billions which is bigger in 10 per cent if to compare with last year budget.
This budget is 120 times Tanzania’s budget for the year 2006/2007.
At the same time US request more money for Iraq, Afghanistan and antiterrorism operation.
The paper reports that last October Bush requested USD 100 billions and in new financial year he requested more USD 145billions, this means that for only one year and half they are going to spend USD 245 billions for Iraq, Afghanistan and antiterrorism operation.
A total military spend is USD 726 billions that is equivalent to 940 trillion Tanzania shillings.
He is also facing challenge over his military budget spends that increases yearly despite of doing away with cold war that has been a great worry to US.
Pro. Masero Sylvanus a retired scholar in Afro-American affairs says that the so called poor countries like Tanzania have their eyes attentive to get the MCA opportunity, alleging that poor countries may not get the promise out of the money for US is already overloaded with its military budget.
He says that President Bush pledged billions of dollars in aid to poor countries when he created Millennium Challenge Account five years ago, the MCA is between a rock and hard places for there are more countries, less money and transformational challenge, yet it remain a development myth to African countries.
Robert Borosage is an analyst and person who campaigns for the future of US reported saying that US Congress answered the President's call by enacting the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) proposal into law in June 2003, appropriating $1 billion for MCA activities in 2004 and $1.5 billion in 2005. The great promise of the Millennium Challenge Account was met with tremendous hope and anticipation by the international community and the developing world.
Robert Borosage worries that the current thinking in Washington on US military spending is largely shaped by an elite policymaking community, which includes the president and the executive branch, the Pentagon, Congress, policy analysts and, of course, the media.
He says that since the end of the Cold War, America's policymakers have debated about the proper role of US military forces in the world and the appropriate level of US military spending.
Budgetary pressures have amplified the call for defense cuts, but the Clinton administration has said defense spending is "off the table," while the Republican Congress has pushed for actual increases in military spending; now it is flying over and over, that skeptics question of what is this burden?
Meanwhile, the American public has been largely a silent partner in this debate.
Borosage admits that a quick look at the top ten military spenders reveals that the United States far outspends the rest of the world. Most of the countries in the top ten are, in fact, US allies.
Worldwide military spending has steadily declined from a high of USD1.3 trillion in 1987 to USD840 billion recently, he says.
Currently, the USD 726 billion US military budget is a staggering one-third of the worldwide total, and it is going up. The Pentagon plans to steadily increase military spending through the year 2007.
But what are the threats to US security that justify increased military spending?
Policymakers often point to the so-called "rogue states," such as Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Syria and Cuba, as potential adversaries. However, when compared to the military budgets of potential adversaries, US military spending dwarfs the spending of all of them combined.
The rogue nations, the ones the Pentagon points to as supposed threats like Iran, Iraq, Cuba, and North Korea collectively spend about USD15 billion on their military each year.
Borosage says that US spends over USD 726 billion. None of them have a weapon its allies except perhaps Cuba have a weapon that can even reach our shores. So, there is no threat that justifies this military spending if your concern is the defense of the United States.
Another area where the public differs from policymakers on military spending is the Pentagon's post-Cold War strategy. For decades, the United States positioned large numbers of troops in Europe and Asia to contain the spread of communism. Today, the threat of the Soviet war machine is gone, yet US troops remain stationed abroad at their Cold War era outposts.
For instance, the United States keeps 100,000 troops in Europe and another 100,000 in Asia as part of the Pentagon's two-war strategy. This strategy calls for the United States to be prepared to wage two large-scale wars at the same time.
Americans want to keep the strongest military in the world and, of course, have it, by far. One of the problems with that is that, of course, it then allows other countries to be free riders, and we're seeing that increasingly where our allies really don't maintain a fair share of the burden. And there is this, quite generalized phenomenon where countries are happy to allow Americans to carry a lot of the weight.
Borosage raises awareness of the public that if US sustain this course and the projections are we will sustain military spending at about this level, he thinks over the next decade, you will see more and more our economy paying the price for having schools that are not top-notch, for having sewer systems that don't work, for having roads and bridges that are inefficient, for not doing the research and development that keeps US ahead of the curve economically.
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