American Foreign Aid and Foreign Policy

112 Pages·2015·1.38 MB·English

by  Anders Nandrup Rylander

American Foreign Aid and Foreign Policy

American foreign aid to Afghanistan in relation to
American foreign policy, foreign policy traditions,
and American interests

Anders Nandrup Rylander

The Department of Literature, Area Studies, and European Languages
North American Area Studies
Faculty of Humanities
In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the MA degree in North American Area Studies
Advisors: Ida Jahr and Mark Luccarelli

UNIVERSITY OF OSLO
Spring 2015

  I
II
American Foreign Aid and Foreign Policy

American foreign aid to Afghanistan in relation to
American foreign policy, foreign policy traditions,
and American interests

  III
© Anders Nandrup Rylander

2015

American Foreign Aid and Foreign Policy

Anders Nandrup Rylander

http://www.duo.uio.no

Print: Reprosentralen, University of Oslo

IV
Abstract
The presented Masters Thesis seeks do develop a better understanding of the relationship
between American foreign aid, American foreign policy traditions, American foreign policy
towards Afghanistan for the years 2007-2012, and American interests. It does so by
answering the following questions: Theories on development typologies reveal that there are
several ways to build a failed state, but what particular type of state building does the U.S.
government do, and what is their reasoning for doing it? And is this consistent with its
foreign policy? How does this relate to American foreign policy traditions and American
interests? In order to do this I define American foreign policy traditions and American self-
interest, as well as accounting for three different development typologies: State-building,
nation-building, and society-building. To connect these aspects of American foreign relations
to a specific case, I analyse the American aid efforts in Afghanistan for the years 2007-2012,
using American reports to OECD, accounting for Official Development Assistance (ODA).
The data is divided according to the three typologies in order to discuss the American
strategy when donating aid and forming foreign policy goals. The analysis and discussion of
the thesis exposes that American aid work in Afghanistan at some points is consistent with
American foreign policy goals in Afghanistan, but also that there are conflicting elements
between foreign policy goals and the aid effort during the years researched. The American
foreign policy goals in Afghanistan also contain elements of at least two American foreign
policy traditions, exposing a difference between the foreign relation strategy of the Truman
Doctrine and the Bush Doctrine. American interests are present in all foreign policy goals and
the aid effort in Afghanistan, but somewhat surprisingly, they are not rooted in economic
interests; stability and safety for American citizens are the predominant American interests
being represented when the U.S. government contributed with foreign aid in Afghanistan.

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Acknowledgements
First of all I would like to thank both my advisors, Ida Jahr and Mark Luccarelli, whom
without I would not have been able to finish this thesis. Ida provided me with inspiration and
insight that was essential for the initial phase of my work with the thesis. Mark helped me
greatly with concentrating my discussion and pushing me when the months left seemed to
few for me to be able to complete my thesis. And to my fellow students these past years,
without you the academic experience would have never been as rewarding.

I would also like to thank my parents for providing me with the opportunity to study, and for
all kinds of support the past years. Their support and encouragement has been critical for my
attainment of a Masters Degree.

Finally I would like to thank Ingrid Marie Jørgensen for her help with proofreading, but
especially for her relentless positive attitude during moments of personal doubt. Without her,
the process of writing this thesis would have been far from as pleasant as it turned out to be.

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Table of Contents

Introduction
 .....................................................................................................................................
 1

1
  Definitions,
 theories,
 and
 foreign
 relations
 discussions
 ...........................................
 3

1.1
  The
 War
 in
 Afghanistan
 ...............................................................................................................
 3

1.2
  Defining
 foreign
 aid
 ......................................................................................................................
 4

1.3
  Defining
 self-­‐interest
 ...................................................................................................................
 7

1.4
  Why
 do
 governments
 contribute
 with
 foreign
 aid?
 .........................................................
 13

1.5
  Theoretical
 framework:
 Typology
 of
 State-­‐building
 .......................................................
 16

1.6
  Hypothesis
 and
 methodology
 ..................................................................................................
 21

1.7
  American
 foreign
 policy
 traditions
 .......................................................................................
 22

1.8
  Conclusion
 .....................................................................................................................................
 25

2
  An
 analysis
 of
 U.
 S.
 Foreign
 aid
 to

 Afghanistan
 from
 2007
 to
 2012
 .....................
 27

2.1
  Introduction
 to
 the
 quantitative
 data
 ...................................................................................
 27

2.2
  Dividing
 the
 data
 according
 to
 the
 typologies
 ...................................................................
 27

2.3
  Reliability
 and
 validity
 ..............................................................................................................
 30

2.4
  The
 use
 of
 the
 data
 ......................................................................................................................
 31

2.5
  Total
 distributions
 ......................................................................................................................
 32

2.5.1
  Total
 distribution
 of
 U.S.
 aid
 to
 Afghanistan
 (2007-­‐2012)
 ..................................................
 32

2.5.2
  Distribution
 per
 agency
 ......................................................................................................................
 33

2.5.3
  Distribution
 per
 typology
 ...................................................................................................................
 34

2.6
  The
 relation
 between
 the
 extending
 agencies
 and
 aid
 recipients
 by
 category
 ......
 39

2.6.1
  State-­‐building
 ..........................................................................................................................................
 39

2.6.2
  Nation-­‐building
 .......................................................................................................................................
 41

2.6.3
  Society-­‐building
 ......................................................................................................................................
 42

2.7
  Comparing
 aid
 recipients
 by
 type
 ..........................................................................................
 43

2.7.1
  Comparing
 the
 distribution
 of
 aid
 per
 extending
 agency
 .....................................................
 44

2.7.2
  Comparison
 of
 the
 projects’
 purpose
 and
 the
 difference
 between
 small
 and
 large

projects
 ......................................................................................................................................................................
 46

2.7.3
  Comparing
 the
 total
 spending
 and
 amount
 of
 projects
 per
 typology
 .............................
 49

2.8
  Conclusion
 .....................................................................................................................................
 51

3
  Foreign
 policy
 traditions,
 foreign
 policy
 towards
 Afghanistan,
 U.S.
 Afghan
 aid,

  and
 American
 interests
 .......................................................................................................
 53

3.1
  U.S.
 foreign
 policy
 goals
 in
 Afghanistan
 (2007-­‐2012)
 .....................................................
 53

3.2
  Comparison
 of
 American
 foreign
 policy
 goals
 and
 the
 results
 of
 the
 quantitative

  analysis
 ...........................................................................................................................................
 57

3.3
  The
 shift
 of
 priority
 from
 nation-­‐building
 to
 state-­‐building
 related
 to
 U.S.
 policy

  towards
 Afghanistan
 ..................................................................................................................
 60

3.4
  American
 interests
 in
 Afghanistan
 ........................................................................................
 66

3.5
  Reflections
 on
 American
 foreign
 policy
 traditions
 in
 relation
 to
 policy
 towards

  Afghanistan
 and
 the
 results
 of
 the
 quantitative
 analysis
 ..............................................
 70

Conclusion
 ......................................................................................................................................
 76

Bibliography
 ..................................................................................................................................
 83

Appendix
 .........................................................................................................................................
 87

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