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Lebanon and the US Foreign Ops Budget. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Rice testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the administration's requested FY '09 foreign affairs, foreign operations and aid budget request. I was reading through it quickly Tuesday night to pull out highlights, and noticed the section on Lebanon, with money set aside to support the Hariri tribunal and $142 million to support "countering threats to Lebanon's sovereignty and security from armed groups backed by Iran and Syria." From Rice's prepared statement:
[By contrast, the administration is requesting $826 million in its foreign affairs budget for Pakistan. including monies for "a five-year $750 million Presidential Commitment initiated in 2007 .... to help the Government of Pakistan recast its relationship with the country’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas; $343 million for peace and security assistance, including $7.7 million for counterterrorism programs and $32 million for border security, law enforcement capacity building, and counter-narcotics efforts. ..." The ratio of Lebanon's population to Pakistan's is roughly 1 to 40. The ratio of administraton foreign affairs budget request Lebanon to Pakistan is roughly 1 to 4. So the administration is spending a lot more money per soul on Lebanon than Pakistan.] Would be interested to see the military aid budget regarding Lebanon/contra Hezbollah monies too. Helena Cobban noted undersecretary of defense for policy Eric Edelman in Beirut this week.Lebanon
Progress in Lebanon remains a critical element of our efforts to foster democracy and security in the Middle East. We have joined hands with Lebanon’s elected government to support their struggle for freedom, independence, and security. For FY 2009, the Department of State has requested $142 million in foreign assistance for Lebanon to support two parallel objectives: countering threats to Lebanon’s sovereignty and security from armed groups backed by Syria and Iran, and helping foster good governance and a vibrant economy.
Three years ago this week, former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri was assassinated. One month later, the Lebanese people demanded an end to foreign domination and political violence, taking to the streets to call for Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon. The FY 2009 budget request includes support for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon—a concrete demonstration of our unwavering commitment to justice, an end to political violence, and the protection of Lebanese sovereignty.
Since then, Lebanon has elected a new parliament and deployed its army to the south of the country for the first time in 40 years. However, Lebanon remains under siege by a Syrian and Iranian-backed opposition working to undermine the nation’s stability, sovereignty, and state institutions. Meanwhile, political violence continues, including a January 15 bombing of an American Embassy vehicle. Our vision of a safe, secure and democratic Middle East cannot survive without a sovereign and stable Lebanon.
ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE
Economic Support Funds
The FY 2009 request for Economic Support Funds (ESF) is $3.15 billion, an increase of $164 million over the FY 2008 enacted level. ESF remains a reliable assistance mechanism by which we advance U.S. interests through programs that help recipient countries address short- and long-term political, economic, and security needs. ESF also supports major foreign policy initiatives such as working to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and regional economic integration in East Asia. ESF funds global and regional programs that support specific U.S. foreign policy goals, including assistance to states critical in the War on Terror.The request includes significant increases in some activities over the Administration’s request for FY 2008, such as programs in Nepal to address rural poverty and help blunt the appeal of Maoist rebels, Lebanon to bolster that country’s democratic traditions and reduce the ability of Hezbollah to divide the populace, and South and Central Asia to improve communications and transportation linkages between Afghanistan and its regional neighbors. ...