UK Cuts Aid, Boosts Bombs, Cries Poverty
The Financial Times dutifully reports the UK's overseas aid budget will hit its lowest level this century. The implication? Hard times demand hard choices, even if it leaves vulnerable nations reeling. What the headline neglects to mention is the UK's burgeoning military spending, approved under the guise of 'global security.' As humanitarian groups get squeezed, the UK has been a consistent
presence in increased military exports, including to regions already destabilized by conflict. One might wonder if the impoverished nations are bracing for cuts or if they're bracing for more UK-made 'security' hardware to arrive, perhaps for use by allies like Israel, who received £156 million in UK arms exports since 2015. Funny how 'austerity' never applies to the military-industrial
complex. Perhaps we've found where the 'aid' money really goes. They call it fiscal responsibility; we call it funding the next headline 'crisis.'