Aid and politics

Aid and politics

With the billions of dollars of international aid -- following
the tsunami disaster that hit Aceh province on Dec. 26 -- flowing
across international borders, people are beginning to ask whether
much of this aid is politically motivated. The answer to this is
of course: It is!

The real question should be whether or not the motivations of
the individual countries behind the aid are going to be
beneficial for the region. Once again the answer is a resounding
yes.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard doesn't get out of bed
in the morning unless there is going to be some form of political
gain. As such, Australia's donations to tsunami-affected
countries and especially Indonesia will be viewed correctly as
being politically motivated. The fact that Australia is the
world's largest donor shows that its government feels it has to
make up for its past indiscretions.

The Australian government reaching out to Indonesia should
only be viewed as a positive step. Not only for the battle
against terrorism, but also for the socioeconomic wellbeing of
both countries. It is important to remember that both of these
battles are not mutually exclusive but are in fact intertwined.

Through increased trade in the region we can improve the
living conditions of both countries. It is an all to easily
forgotten fact that international trade is not a zero sum game.

Labor intensive Indonesia would benefit greatly from an
increased pooling of resources with capital intensive Australia.
This would in turn filter through to increased socioeconomic
conditions for both countries (but more notably Indonesia) and
thus remove a large element of desperation in impoverished
regions that can sometimes lead to terrorism.

MARK BRUNY, Sydney, Australia