WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. government is providing significantly more military funding to countries deemed key to the war on terror despite spotty human rights records.
The Center for Defense information, a Washington-based national security think tank, has analyzed military assistance to 25 countries that play a unique role in the war on terrorism. Many are countries with poor human rights records, lack democracy and/or in the past have supported terrorism.
They are also countries that are in a position to be the most helpful in the war on terrorism, particularly with intelligence and military basing or staging rights.
More than half of the countries have received more total military assistance in the four years since the September 11 terrorist attacks than they had in the previous 12 years combined, according to CDI. The group of 25 have on average received 50 percent more U.S weapons and training in the last six years than they did prior to the attacks.
"At the same time that U.S. military assistance is increasing, the poor human rights situations in many countries have not improved since the start of the 'war on terror' (and in some cases have become worse). In 2005, alone, the State Department reported that 'serious abuses' were committed by the government or state security forces in more than half of the (25) countries," according to CDI.
The countries also have far greater access to advanced U.S.-built weaponry than prior to the declared war on terror through increased access to foreign military financing and direct commercial sales.
CDI focused its analysis on the following countries, comparing their military assistance relationship with the United States prior to, and after, the September 11 terrorist attacks: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Oman, Bahrain, Yemen, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Algeria, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
