Andrew Boutton and David B. Carter attempt to analyze the popular belief that the United States provides financial aid to globally fight terrorism. There have been several different studies in the past with varied deductions on the connection between how it is determined which state receives aid, in what way this aid affects terrorism in the aided state, and if the U.S. truly follows its foreign policy based upon President Bush’s statement that the war on terrorism will not end until “every terrorist group…has been found, stopped, and defeated.” In their article they attempt to connect these past studies with new ones in an effort to see whether or not the U.S.’s role has changed since the September 11 attacks by analyzing thirty years of data
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During the Cold War the United States helped only the allies that they viewed as “strategically important” (Bueno de Mesuita and Smith 2009; Boschini and Olofsgard). Using Lake’s statement that an aided state gives up some of its power to the aiding state for “protection and other services”, the U.S. has an increased security interest in the states it provides aid to. The survival of these states against threats directly influences how much aid is provided as seen during the Cold War in Honduras, Peru, and Thailand (Mott 2002; Muscat 2002). Boutton and Carter contend that this has changed since the September 11 attacks as there is not a correlation between American aid being provided and terrorist attacks against American allies. Rather, they contend that the U.S. chooses to aid states based upon the potential security threat to the U.S. Conversely, there is a problem with how America perceives the threat of terrorism. The United States has shown in the past to sometimes be in favor of terrorist activity such as supporting Contras in Nicaragua and even now with the support of organizations that disfavor Iran (Carter 2012). Ultimately, Boutton and Carter conclude that the connection between U.S. aid and terrorism has remained constant throughout the years with only the …show more content…
Based upon the information provided in their article American policy has remained unchanged in the fact that it still provides aid only to the countries it perceives could be a security threat. However, there has been a clear policy shift from before and after the September 11 attacks. While terrorism has been a part of foreign policy throughout multiple presidencies the stance has hardened in the post 9/11 era and the U.S. has made less of an effort to expand its alliance network as it did in the Cold War era. In the Cold War era it is stated that America provided aid primarily to allies to combat the Soviet Union while after 9/11 America has provided aid to non-allied countries to combat
During the Cold War the United States helped only the allies that they viewed as “strategically important” (Bueno de Mesuita and Smith 2009; Boschini and Olofsgard). Using Lake’s statement that an aided state gives up some of its power to the aiding state for “protection and other services”, the U.S. has an increased security interest in the states it provides aid to. The survival of these states against threats directly influences how much aid is provided as seen during the Cold War in Honduras, Peru, and Thailand (Mott 2002; Muscat 2002). Boutton and Carter contend that this has changed since the September 11 attacks as there is not a correlation between American aid being provided and terrorist attacks against American allies. Rather, they contend that the U.S. chooses to aid states based upon the potential security threat to the U.S. Conversely, there is a problem with how America perceives the threat of terrorism. The United States has shown in the past to sometimes be in favor of terrorist activity such as supporting Contras in Nicaragua and even now with the support of organizations that disfavor Iran (Carter 2012). Ultimately, Boutton and Carter conclude that the connection between U.S. aid and terrorism has remained constant throughout the years with only the …show more content…
Based upon the information provided in their article American policy has remained unchanged in the fact that it still provides aid only to the countries it perceives could be a security threat. However, there has been a clear policy shift from before and after the September 11 attacks. While terrorism has been a part of foreign policy throughout multiple presidencies the stance has hardened in the post 9/11 era and the U.S. has made less of an effort to expand its alliance network as it did in the Cold War era. In the Cold War era it is stated that America provided aid primarily to allies to combat the Soviet Union while after 9/11 America has provided aid to non-allied countries to combat