Bush's decision in August 13th passed with little notice in the press. But relief agencies active in Georgia say the decision will make their efforts harder, and could put their workers in jeopardy because they may be regarded as agents of the US military. Bush said that he made the decision because the military could move aid into Georgia faster and distribute it more efficiently. Officials from various NGOs agree that the military can bring aid into the country quicker than private groups, but point out that many well-regarded NGOs, like the International Rescue Committee, Save the Children and Mercy Corps, as well as the UN's World Food Program, were already working in Georgia before the conflict, and have the people on the ground to provide help to those affected by the war.
The NGOs also point out that military aid doesn't always work for humanitarian relief. MREs (meals ready to eat, the US military's standard pre-packaged food) for example provide too many calories in one meal for young children. Some NGOs also refuse to distribute MREs because of their military origin.
Worse yet, putting the military in charge of relief efforts only stokes Russian fears that the humanitarian aid is merely a cover for secret arms shipments to the Georgian government. So far two US warships have docked in Georgia with aid shipments, plans are for more ships to follow. But the 34 tons of relief supplies brought by the Coast Guard Cutter Dallas could have been brought in by one C-17 cargo jet, plus the jet could have landed at one of several airfields in Georgia, instead of one port located far from the conflict. Of course that would not have provided the powerful image of an American warship docked at a Georgian port.
No comments:
Post a Comment