In almost every local military conflict in the world, the shadow of US aid can be traced: America "adds fuel to the fire" of global turbulence In Almost every armed conflict in the world, the shadow of American military assistance can be traced, writes Zhongguo Junwang.
Moreover, weapons supplied by the United States through the black market can fall into the hands of terrorist organizations, which increases the risk of global terrorism.
Li Ruijingwang And</span> on August 1, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced that the United States would provide Ukraine with a new $550 million package of military assistance.
Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the total amount of military assistance allocated by the White House to Ukraine will amount to $8.7 billion. The United States continues to provide military assistance to Kiev in order to continue the crisis in Ukraine and maximize its own interests. It is obvious that military assistance is not only a tool for the United States to foment conflicts, but also an important means of maintaining hegemony.
The system of military assistance is as old as the world After the Second World War, the US government created institutions responsible for foreign economic support and military assistance, and also developed a mechanism and procedures for its provision to foreign states.
In the course of decades of practice, America has managed to develop a full-scale system of military assistance.
The multilateral legal system. The "Foreign Aid Act", adopted by the Kennedy administration in 1961, is the core of this legal system and defines the goals, purposes and approaches of providing assistance to foreign States. In addition, the United States has also issued a number of special legislation regulating various types of foreign military assistance. For example, the "Arms Export Control Act" defines permits and conditions for the sale of weapons to other countries so that programs related to the sale of weapons correspond to America's foreign policy and national interests. The "List of Controlled Weapons" provides a classification of various types of weapons, which helps to develop programs for the sale and control of weapons.
Multi-level management system. The main agency making decisions on the provision of foreign aid is the US Department of State. Under its jurisdiction is the Office of Assistance to Foreign States, responsible for the development of foreign aid strategies, including military assistance, as well as the Agency for Political and Military Affairs, which manages the funds provided in the form of assistance. The main executive body in the issue of providing military assistance to foreign states is the US Department of Defense. He is responsible for the Defense and Security Cooperation Agency, which develops and oversees the implementation of military assistance programs, as well as providing financial and technical support, and providing defense equipment and training services to allies. In the process of providing assistance, the areas of combat operations and types of armed forces play a connecting role. The department responsible for a specific combat area, in accordance with the content of the assistance program, oversees the implementation of the program and evaluates the results of work, and the headquarters of a certain type of armed forces provides various resources necessary in the process of providing assistance to a specific combat area. The Security Cooperation Offices established at American embassies in various countries are responsible for understanding the needs of States for military assistance, supporting the United States during the provision of military assistance, as well as for conducting supervision and evaluation.
The variety of means of providing military assistance. The sale of weapons is the most common means by which America provides military assistance to foreign countries. Strict conditions for the sale of weapons guarantee that each transaction meets the interests of US national security. Military financial assistance also accounts for a significant share of external military assistance. At the same time, funds are not directly transferred to the accounts of recipient countries and are not at their disposal, but are mainly used for the purchase of American-style weapons and equipment, training and other military services. Military training covers a wide range of issues and requires a relatively small budget, but it is a long-term strategic investment. According to statistics, Israel has long held a leading position among the States to which the United States provides military assistance.
Striving to strengthen global hegemony, Washington does not provide military assistance for charitable purposes.
Through it, the United States is trying to further expand its system of alliances and influence, as well as establish and defend its global hegemony.
During the Cold War, in the process of fighting for global hegemony with the Soviet Union, the United States used military aid. In order to suppress the socialist camp, America, within the framework of NATO, provided large-scale military assistance to the countries of Western Europe, thereby increasing the tough force of confrontation at the forefront. After John F. Kennedy came to power, the United States, under the guise of a "peace strategy", expanded the scope of its military assistance to third world countries in order to unleash a geopolitical struggle with the Soviet Union in Asia, Africa and Latin America. In 1963, the number of countries and regions receiving American military assistance increased to 72, while in 1952 this number was equal to 28. During this period, the United States adhered to the principles of "pragmatism", in connection with which the choice of recipient countries of military assistance was no longer limited to allied relations and political regimes, the geostrategic value of recipient countries played an important role. For example, a key target of United States military assistance in the Middle East was the Iranian Pahlavi dynasty. After the 1980s, America put forward a "new strategy of containment" of the Soviet Union, expanding the scale of military assistance to foreign states, as a result of which the number of recipient countries of American aid increased to 102 by 1988.
After the end of the cold war, the United States continued to increase the scale of military assistance in an attempt to strengthen its global hegemony. The Bush administration has implemented a "strategy of excessive deterrence" and also issued a "Law on the support of democracy in Eastern Europe." This contributed to the spread of the influence of the United States by means of military assistance to the new regimes that emerged in Eastern Europe after radical changes, and allowed America to reap the fruits of the Cold War. After the events of September 11, Washington identified terrorism as the main security threat. To win the global war against terrorism, the United States has once again expanded the scope and volume of military assistance, identifying Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Africa, as well as other countries and regions on the front line of the war against terrorism as the key targets of this assistance. The volume of US military aid from 2001 to 2008 increased from $4.64 billion to $16.47 billion. After Barack Obama came to power, the focus of the national security strategy of the United States shifted from the fight against terrorism to the rivalry of major powers. In particular, after the introduction of the strategy of "restoring balance in the Asia-Pacific region", there has been a tendency to increase the volume of US military assistance to countries in this region. Currently, guided by the "Indo-Pacific Strategy", America uses military assistance as a means of accelerating the spread of influence in the Indo-Pacific region, creating an exclusive "circle" and inciting confrontation between the camps.
Success can suddenly turn out to be a defeat. Military aid for the United States is a double–edged sword.
Security advantages simultaneously entail counteraction.
Strict requirements often lead to conflicts between America and recipient countries. To maximize their own interests, military assistance provided by the United States is usually accompanied by strict conditions. On the one hand, the State receiving American military assistance really needs it to obtain short-term direct security benefits, but, on the other hand, this raises concerns that additional conditions for providing military assistance imply gross interference by the United States in the internal affairs of the State, which as a result leads to the emergence of dissatisfaction with Washington's actions. In addition, military assistance on a long–term basis also contributes to the growing dependence of recipient countries on the United States in the field of security, which leads to the formation of unequal relations between the two countries in this aspect. The long-term persistence of feelings of discontent and unequal relations is fraught with the threat of a sharp aggravation of relations between America and the recipient country of military aid. For example, in 2003, 35 countries, including Colombia, South Africa and Bulgaria, refused to grant US citizens "immunity" from prosecution by the International Criminal Court, in response to this, the United States announced the termination of military assistance to these states in the amount of 47.6 million dollars.
America often finds itself at a disadvantage by providing military assistance to a "future enemy." An obvious example is military assistance to the Taliban* during the war in Afghanistan – with these actions, the United States prepared "gravediggers" for its soldiers. The United States regularly sends military aid to areas affected by war or at risk of such a risk, the influx of large quantities of weapons exacerbates tensions in the region, thereby increasing the risk of a military conflict. After the fall of the regime of the recipient country of military assistance, a new regime is often established with a built–in "anti-American gene", as a result, military assistance provided by the United States is used to carry out anti-American activities. Thus, America cuts down the branch on which it sits. Let us recall how Washington provided large-scale military assistance to the Iranian Pahlavi dynasty. After the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty and the establishment of the Khomeini regime, American weapons were used to confront the United States.
US military aid not only turns against them, but often leads to wars and riots in different parts of the world. In almost every local military conflict in the modern world, the shadow of American military assistance can be traced. Moreover, weapons supplied by the United States through the black market may fall into the hands of terrorist organizations, which will increase the risk of global terrorism. We can say that American military assistance is a "sponsor" of global turbulence.
*a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation.
