Military aid packages instead of economic aid packages

[What exactly does it mean] when the Americans announced a "military aid package" of 60 billion dollars for their allies in the Middle East.

To put all this in perspective, after the G8 summit the wealthy nations of the world said they'd give $25 billion to help the poor in Africa.

The resulting balloons, celebrations, smiley press conferences and declarations of a new start for Africa were about the entire western world donating to an entire impoverished continent less than half of what one country has quietly coughed up in weapons for the Saudis, Egypt and Israel.

[For that matter] How can they spend that much? Has Prada moved into tanks? Maybe they now buy these things at fashion shows, where a commentator gasps: "Ooh, my, my!" as down the catwalk comes this exhilarating design for the very latest satellite-guided armor-penetrating missile "sure to be this summer's big bold hit when it comes to melting Hezbollah."

And $13 billion of this is for Saudi Arabia. Because, after all, if there's one family on this earth in need of financial aid, it's the Saudi royal family.

[Excerpt of an article by Mark Steel, The Independent]

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