Ideology or Pragmatism? U.S. Economic Aid, Military Assistance, and Foreign Military Sales: 1950-2007

Abstract

As long as there are challenges to the United States national interests, Security [military] assistance, or the transfer of arms and the providing of economic assistance for security reasons, will remain at the forefront of our national security and foreign policies. Security [military] assistance serves our interests by assisting allies and friends to acquire and maintain the capability for self defense[1] The National Security Council (NSC), created by the 1947 National Security Act, gives the Executive Branch of government the most direct influence over U.S. Foreign Policy. More specifically, it grants the president greater oversight and control of U.S. foreign policy. Economic aid, military assistance, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) are but a few of the more significant means available to the Executive Branch when exercising foreign policy. Economic aid and military assistance fall within the Foreign Aid program and comprise approximately 50 percent of the foreign aid budget. All three of these foreign assistance instruments and their respective budgets are Congressionally authorized and directly support the President's national security strategy.[2] This article analyzes the influences on the Executive Branch's foreign policy decisions regarding the use of U.S. economic aid, military assistance, and FMS from 1950-2007 against events occurring throughout this same period. A detailed examination of the levels of aid provided to Ethiopia and Somalia is conducted as a means of further testing the notion that Executive Branch pragmatism influences Presidential Administrations more often than ideology when determining the type/quantity of economic aid, military assistance, and FMS provided to countries.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA517397

Entities

People

  • David A. Anderson
  • Randall D. Mccauley

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Business Administration
  • Foreign Aid
  • Foreign Military Sales
  • Foreign Policy
  • Governments
  • Human Rights
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Military Assistance
  • National Governments
  • National Security
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • Vietnam War

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Strategic Security Studies