US military aid and the ICC

bonkey

I see the US is suspending (or threatening to suspend) military aid from any nation which ratifies the ICC but refuses to sign an agreement with Washington exempting Americans from prosecution.

http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3020306

One thing I noticed is that Ireland is listed as one of the 30 nations subject to a suspension of military aid. However, the way the wording is phrased made me wonder....does Ireland actually receive military aid from the US?

Anyway....its an interesting move by the US. On one hand, it can be seen as a bullying tactic. On the other hand, it raises questions about where this money will be spent if not on foreign military aid. Will the US allow their "military industry" to suffer the loss of revenue, or will they simply find another way to spend the cash on the same guys?

jc

Sparks

Time for the EU to step in and offer to match the aid that the US is withdrawing, at least from the EU countries. The ICC is simply too important to do otherwise.

Sand

However, the way the wording is phrased made me wonder....does Ireland actually receive military aid from the US?

No, apparently not according to the Irish Embassy. Its just a technicality as far as were concerned.

Time for the EU to step in and offer to match the aid that the US is withdrawing, at least from the EU countries.

NATO states and 9 non-NATO allies are exempt from the action so they wont be looking to pick that particular fight I think.

Sparks

NATO states and 9 non-NATO allies are exempt from the action so they wont be looking to pick that particular fight I think.

A pity, but also a surprise since the EU has pledged to match financial aid to EU countries that the US is threatening to withdraw unless they sign exemptions for US personnel from the ICC.

Sparks

Now was it just an inaccurate report that I read, or is the total monetary value of the aid being withdrawn $44 million?
For heaven's sake, we're buying jets for nearly twice that - why not just pay that money to the 35 countries being cut off and safeguard the ICC?

Sand

Oh my Sparks - youd be comftable with the EU taking over supplying 3rd world nations with 1st world arms to wage proxy wars whilst their people starve, illiterate and dying of easily curable diseases?

Sparks

Sand,
No, I'd support the EU giving military aid to 3rd world countries in return for their signing and supporting the ICC - because the abuses of military aid is one of the things that the ICC is supposed to prevent.

I'd have no major problem with that because the EU gives seven times more than the US to 3rd world countries in development aid for food, teachers and medicine....

Victor

Originally posted by bonkey
One thing I noticed is that Ireland is listed as one of the 30 nations subject to a suspension of military aid. However, the way the wording is phrased made me wonder....does Ireland actually receive military aid from the US?

Yes in teh form of military sales and training, however we pay for everything we receive, so any threat of suspension will only harm American sales and not hurt Ireland financially.

Take a look here - everything from pistols, ammo, anti-tank missile, night vision gear to books.

Main page: http://www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/worldfms.html

http://www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/655-2000/Defense%20Articles/Iceland%20-%20Ireland.pdf

http://www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/655-99/dcs/dcsireland99.pdf

http://www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/655-99/dcs/f-s99ada.pdf

http://www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/655/dcs/dcsIreland98.pdf

Page 80 of http://www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/unreg01.pdf

bonkey

Originally posted by Victor
Yes in teh form of military sales and training, however we pay for everything we receive, so any threat of suspension will only harm American sales and not hurt Ireland financially.

Are arms sales such as these also covered under this US bullying, Victor?

I mean, its one thing to stop giving stuff to others (even if its just a way to prop up your own economy), but surely preventing other nations from purchasing it on the open market is something else?

If not, then I'd just love someone to take the US in front of the WTO over limitations on free trade about this

jc

Victor

I don't know about this particular instance, but my reading of this is yes, the sale of weapons and similar sales will be restricted. That would in particular apply to government to government sales (which covers quite a lot), whatever about "commercial sales" sourced by individual contractors.

The reason for exempting close allies (their main customers) and waivers for specific other countries would no doubt be to protect the larger sales (we are well down the list).

I don't think weapons are covered by the WTO (not the EU for that matter).

There is a link off that article: http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3022100

FACTBOX-Countries Ineligible for U.S. Military Aid
Tue July 1, 2003 04:11 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United Sates said on Tuesday it was cutting off military aid to 35 countries that support the International Criminal Court but have not exempted Americans from prosecution in the tribunal.
The 35 countries are:

Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Central African Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominica, Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Namibia, Niger, Paraguay, Peru, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela and Zambia.

Under the American Service Members Protection Act of 2002, the basis for the decision to cut aid, another 11 countries are not eligible for U.S. military assistance, but they had not been receiving any in this fiscal year. They are:

Andorra, Austria, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Nauru, San Marino, Sweden and Switzerland.

President Bush issued waivers to enable military aid to continue to 22 countries, either because they have exempted U.S. personnel from prosecution or because he deemed that the aid was in the national interest.

Those countries are: Albania, Afghanistan, Bolivia, Bosnia, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, East Timor, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Honduras, Macedonia, Mauritius, Mongolia, Nigeria, Panama, Romania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan and Uganda.

Also exempt are the 19 members of NATO, Taiwan and a group of countries which Washington classifies as "major non-NATO allies" -- Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, New Zealand and South Korea.

Notably, many of the countries being restricted are those either with (1) minor armed forces or (2) are developed countries "with their own minds" or (3) have other reasons to restrict sales (recent conflict, authoritarian governments)

(1) Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Central African Republic, Costa Rica, Dominica, Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Namibia, Nauru, Niger, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Trinidad and Tobago.

(2) Austria, Brazil, Finland, Ireland, Peru, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Venezuela

(3) Croatia, Cyprus, Fiji, Malawi, Namibia, Serbia and Montenegro.

Of course of the countries with waivers, several have reasons not to give them waivers - Democratic Republic of the Congo (civil war), Nigeria (authoritarian, civil unrest), Sierra Leone (civil war), Tajikistan (authoritarian), Uganda (Conglese civil war).