The Effects of War and Peace on Foreign Aid in the Philippines
In the past, peace and war have shown the diverse effect on the distribution of foreign aids to the recipient nations which have been affected by war. The effects of war and peace on the foreign aids are either positive or negative and also with different magnitude. Foreign aids given to the affected countries which are usually the third world countries is usually technical aid, military aid, financial aid and humanitarian aid (Callaway & Matthews, 2008). The intention of the donor country is usually to help the poor in the country get their basic wants which at the same time helping to improve the economy of the country.
Some foreign aids are also geared towards restoring stability in these countries and achieving peace and unity where there is war. However, the intentions are not always achieved, and sometimes foreign aids pave the way to hell and of course with initial good intentions (Carlsson, Somolekae & Van, 2007). This essay focuses on the effects of war and peace on the distribution of foreign aid in the Philippines.
On the negative side, distribution of the foreign aids in these countries is hindered by various reasons. Firstly, there are high costs of foreign aid which is referred to as cash for conflict. When there is conflict in a country, there is the need to continuously ensure the security of the humanitarian aid-carrying out the distribution is maintained while at the same time ensuring safety for the technical and food stuff given. A country tattled in conflicts is inaccessible, and the poor people in these places are usually in remote regions (Carlsson, Somolekae & Van, 2007).
Secondly, Corruption is inevitable in these countries. This is especially where large sums of money are involved in the foreign aid. Both the government and the insurgents tend to take large sums of money to themselves to sustain the war on their side (Callaway & Matthews, 2008). This was seen as the US went used the amounts of money to ease the situation in Philippines where the insurgents tried to sabotage aid projects while the government projects failed due to claims of limited funds (Brown & Grävingholt, 2015).
Third, logistics are highly difficult to carry and sustain in such cases. It is, therefore, impossible to transport goods from the foreign aid camps and bases to the intended recipients. It was difficult to get the means to access the various designated areas due to unrest and threats posed (Brynen, 2010). More so, cases of death have been reported during the preparation stages. The insurgents try as much as possible to sabotage and abort any attempts to sustain the citizens of the country (Carlsson, Somolekae & Van, 2007). This was observed in the Philippines as the insurgents threatened any transportation attempts by the international community.
On the positive side, foreign aids have led to the restoration of peace in the warring countries. The foreign aid serves to the interest of those who seek peace as the military aids help to restore the peace while giving basic need to the citizens. The US and Japan gave the assistance to the Philippines in the form of food and military aids (Brown & Grävingholt, 2015). Secondly, Foreign aids geared towards the growth of the economy have assisted in the growth of national income. Countries coming from war are hence able to sustain themselves on the accumulated income and hence foster national growth. The intention of the donor in this situation is to get a lasting solution through assisting the third world countries (Lancaster, 2007).
In response to the severe effects caused by warfare on foreign aid, the leaders in the recipient countries and, in this case, Philippines resolved to ensure the utility of the foreign aids through controlling corruption. This is where the leaders give a plan of what they need to do with the foreign assistance given to ensure that no wastage is seen. This is done before they are given the aids. More so, these leaders have used the foreign aids to strengthen the war against the insurgents and also to call for peace talks (Lancaster, 2007). This has served to reduce the duration of conflict in these nations. Lastly, the leaders also ensure continued development of infrastructure and hence the growth of the economy and hence elevating the status of the country and hence getting lasting solutions.
In my opinion, foreign aids have not been able to successfully reduce poverty levels and the incidence of wars in the warring countries. The various forms of funding which include aids, loans and foreign investment have only served to restore what is destroyed in the foreign countries during the war.
There may be no much credit to be given to the foreign aids as it takes the concession of the warring group to decide on when to stop the war (Lancaster, 2007). More so, various foreign donors have been seen to assist the recipients aiming at either benefitting from them after the conflict or even to settle some scores with other groups (Brown & Grävingholt, 2015). This instead increases the warfare duration due to conflicted interests between nations. This has been seen in such countries as Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and the even Philippines.
Lastly, though investment as a source of funding improves the income of recipient nations, they increase the debts of the countries which they have to settle after the war (Brynen, 2010). On corruption and sabotage of the foreign aids, it is recommendable that the donors be in a position to control the use of the aids given.
References
Brown, S., & Grävingholt, J. (2015). The Securitization of Foreign Aid. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Brynen, R. (2010). A very Political Economy': Peacebuilding' and Foreign Aid' in the West Bank and Gaza'. Washington, DC: United States Inst. of Peace Press.
Callaway, R. L., & Matthews, E. G. (2008). Strategic US foreign assistance: The battle for human rights and national security. Aldershot, England: Ashgate.
Carlsson, J., Somolekae, G. M., Van, N., & Nordiska Afrika Institute'. (2007). Foreign' aid in Africa: Learning from country experience. Uppsala: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet.
Lancaster, C. (2007). Foreign Aid: Diplomacy, development, domestic politics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
