Methodology

U.S. Military Aid
The Center defined U.S. military aid as taxpayer supported programs that contribute to a foreign nation’s offensive military capabilities. Therefore, operations like the Nunn-Lugar program, which funds the dismantling of weapons of mass destruction and other safety initiatives, are not included.

The breakdown above shows the individual programs that accounted for each nation’s total. The numbers are complete for the fiscal years 1999 through 2004, the years included in the Center’s study. Data collected from outside that scope is also displayed in the interest of public disclosure. All data were obtained by the Center from congressional budget documents or through Freedom of Information Act requests to the State Department and Defense Department.

Note: Data from years outside of the six-year study period cannot be considered complete. An empty cell indicates that records were not collected for that period, or that the program did not yet exist. It does not necessarily mean that zero dollars were spent.

For a more complete explanation of methods and information about the individual programs, refer to the Citizen’s Guide to Military Aid. The government records that underlie the data can be found in the Document Warehouse.

Spending on Influence (FARA)
A person or organization hired by a foreign government to influence the U.S. public or elected officials is required to register with Department of Justice and provide a semi-annual report that includes any income or expenditures, under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Those records also include a description of the activity that took place during the reporting period.

The totals on this page reflect the amount of money reported each year by parties working on behalf of foreign governments that received the most military aid.

FARA totals capture activity beyond lobbying, including non-lobbying public relations activity and trade promotion efforts. As such, these totals should not be interpreted as representing amounts spent exclusively on “lobbying.”

Human Rights Violations Cited by State Department, 2005
The Center used the following definitions to capture human rights violations noted in the U.S. Department of State’s 2005 reports.

Ethnic/Minority Oppression includes violence and discrimination against indigenous persons; violence and discrimination against homosexuals; and abuses by government and law enforcement officials against minorities and certain ethnicities.

Oppression of Women includes widespread domestic violence; societal discrimination against women; sexual abuse against women; female genital mutilation (FGM); tactics of war used against women such as rape; and discrimination against women in the workplace.

Threats to Civil Liberties include restrictions on freedom of movement, speech, press and assembly; infringements on citizens’ privacy; suppression of political parties; and harassment of opposition and human rights groups.

Child Exploitation includes child labor; child trafficking; sexual abuse against children; poor protection of children’s rights; and the use of child soldiers in conflict.

Religious Persecution includes restrictions on freedom of religion, and violence against religious minorities.

Judicial/Prison Abuses include violations of due process and fair trials; police abuse; torture and prison violence; harsh prison conditions; and arbitrary arrest or detention.