US Assistance, Development, and Hierarchy in the Middle East: Aid for Allies

274 Pages·2017·3.05 MB·English

by  Anne Mariel Zimmermann (auth.)

US Assistance,
Development, and
Hierarchy in the
Middle East
Aid for Allies
Anne Mariel Zimmermann
US Assistance, Development, and Hierarchy
in the Middle East
Anne Mariel Zimmermann
US Assistance,
Development, and
Hierarchy in the
Middle East
Aid for Allies
Anne Mariel Zimmermann
Zurich, Switzerland
ISBN 978-1-349-94999-1 ISBN 978-1-349-95000-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/978-1-349-95000-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016961643
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the
Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of
translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on
microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval,
electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now
known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are
exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information
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Cover image © Peter Scholey / Alamy Stock Photo
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This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature
The registered company is Nature America Inc. New York
I dedicate this book with affection to my husband, Doron Zimmermann,
whose provocative questions, generosity of knowledge, and strength struck me
from day one—and without which this book would not exist.
A
cknowledgments
As with any journey that occupies nearly a decade of one’s life, this book
is not only the work of its author but also of mentors, friends, family, and
benefactors who have helped along the way.
I completed a narrower version of this project at the University of
Virginia, where my interest in theoretical anomalies led me to write a doc-
toral dissertation on US assistance and state building in Egypt, Jordan,
South Korea, and Taiwan. My dissertation advisor and teacher, David
Waldner, provided critical advice in this initial stage of my work, and
encouraged me to look more deeply into the concept of parallel institu-
tions. Herman Schwartz was a source of kindness and wisdom, and Bill
Quandt made my field research in Egypt logistically possible. I am grateful
to the Council of American Overseas Research Centers/American Center
of Oriental Research, the US–Egypt Binational Fulbright Commission,
and the Miller Center GAGE Program for supporting my fieldwork in
Amman, Cairo, and Washington, DC.
As an assistant professor at Wesleyan University, I was inspired to
expand the thematic scope of this book to international hierarchy, as well
as to limit its regional focus to the Middle East by taking on the well-
documented yet complex case of US assistance to Israel. I am grateful to
Wesleyan and the Project on Middle East Political Science for supporting
my additional research in the Middle East and at the National Archives in
College Park. David Lake, Stephen Krasner, and John Owen offered early
comments on my joint effort with Sean Yom to operationalize interna-
tional hierarchy, the framework of which informs part of this book. I am
also grateful to the Center for Global Development, the Harvard Middle
vii
viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
East Politics Workshop, the Northeast Middle East Politics Workshop, the
University of St. Gallen, Brown University, the New America Foundation,
and the Center for Strategic and International Studies for allowing me
various opportunities to present my research.
From our initial meeting as graduate students, Sean Yom has shared his
intelligence, drive, and friendship with me, allowing our mutual research
interests to develop into a fruitful and diverse collaboration and dialogue.
Marwan Kardoosh generously shared his deep understanding of Jordanian
politics and economy. In addition, I am indebted to the colleagues who
have read and commented on various stages of my work: Jason Brownlee,
Amaney Jamal, Jillian Schwedler, Melanie Cammett, Ellen Lust, Pete
Moore, Lisa Blaydes, Erin Snider, Stefanie Nanes, David Faris, John
Waterbury, David Patel, Tarek Masoud, Hilde Restad, Kyle Lascurettes,
Ryan Saylor, André Bank, and Michael Shalev. In the field, my friends
Yorke Rowan, Morag Kersel, and Heather Badamo were not only fantastic
company but gifted me with a hobbyist’s interest in Mediterranean his-
tory and archaeology. I am also grateful to the dozens of individuals who
granted me interviews, opened their Rolodexes, and gave me critical feed-
back on nascent hypotheses. Several deserve to be mentioned by name,
and will know that this omission reflects their own wishes rather than the
gratitude I hold toward them.
My family provided me with the inspiration to study political science,
as well as the reminder that, while theoretical simplicity may be elegant,
it is the real world that is the most beautiful. Kaye Thompson Peters and
Jeffrey Wallin Peters gave me the opportunities of a good education, travel,
debate, and newsroom humor, while Jean Hartsock Peters, Gordon Sikes
Peters, and Berniece Ault demonstrated the importance of giving back to
others with all means available. My sisters, Sarah and Emily Peters, never
let me stray too far from the joys of our childhood, and Yaël and Faye
Zimmermann have been generous enough to share theirs with me. Erich
Zimmermann, Anna Maria Wehrli, Anna Pfeiffer, Donatella Richtman-
Cinquini, and Daniel Richtman showed me new levels of strength and
persistence, and provided the warmth of family far from home. Nebel the
Cat was, as ever, a pleasant companion in the office.
The opinions herein are my own personal views, and do not represent
those of my employer or its staff. All errors are my own.
c
ontents
1 What Does US Aid “Buy” in the Middle East? 1
2 Aid and the Logic of Political Survival 19
Part I Israel 39
3 Non-distributive Survival Strategy 41
4 Origins of US Aid to Israel 61
5 US Aid to Israel: Developmental Bargain 83
Part II Jordan 103
6 Distributive Survival Strategy 105
7 Origins of US Aid to Jordan 125
ix
x CONTENTS
8 US Aid to Jordan: Geopolitical Bargain 147
Part III Egypt 163
9 Hybrid Survival Strategy 165
10 Origins of US Aid to Egypt 183
11 US Aid to Egypt: Illusive Bargains 207
12 Conclusion 225
Bibliography 235
Index 265
l f
ist of igures
Fig. 1.1 US economic and military aid obligations as constant
2014 dollars, 1951–2010 (USAID, US Overseas Loans) 4
Fig. 1.2 US economic and military aid obligations as percent
GDP, 1960–2009 (USAID, US Overseas Loans; World Bank,
World Development) 4
Fig. 2.1 Skew of hierarchical dyads 35
Fig. 5.1 Aspects of the budget of the Government of Israel, 1960–2009
(Author’s calculations based on budget and GNP data from
World Bank, World Development; aid data from USAID,
US Overseas Loans; and budget data from Bank of Israel,
“Table 6.A.1(1);” Bank of Israel “Table 6.A.2(1).”) 85
Fig. 5.2 Aspects of the defense budget of the Government of Israel,
1960–2009 88
Fig. 5.3 Exchanges of the US–Israel hierarchy, 1955–2010 91
Fig. 8.1 Aspects of the budget of the Government of Jordan,
1965–2010 (Author’s calculations based on budget and
GNI data from World Bank, World Development and
Heston et al, Penn World; budget data from Annual
Statistical Series; aid data from USAID, US Overseas Loans) 149
Fig. 8.2 Exchanges of the US–Jordan hierarchy, 1952–2010 157
Fig. 11.1 Exchanges of the US–Egypt hierarchy, 1955–2010 217
xi