British ‘Aid Cut’ Will Actually See Major Spending Increase

16 Countries Cut, But More Money Pumped Into Yemen, Somalia

The British government is preparing what is being spun as a major “cut” in its foreign aid budget, cutting off 16 nations entirely, including Russia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Moldova, Serbia, and Iraq.

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell termed the cuts as necessary in a “time of belt-tightening,” but as with similar “cuts” in US spending, it will actually see a dramatic increase in overall spending on the project.

For while those 16 nations are being cut out, the amount of money being thrown at nations like Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia will be dramatically increased, and calling this a “cut” appears to be laughable.

The current British foreign aid budget is about $11 billion, and will soar to $18 billion over the next few years. The British government has been struggling with massive budget shortfalls in the past few years, leading to wholesale cuts in domestic spending.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.