Paying Them to Hate US: The Effect of U.S. Military
aid on Anti-American Terrorism, 1968-2018 by Eugen Dimant, Tim Krieger
& Daniel Meierrieks
Abstract:
How does anti-American terrorism in recipient countries
respond to U.S. military aid? Does aid protect U.S. interests abroad or does it
have unintended consequences for U.S. security? To answer these questions, we
estimate the effect of U.S. military aid on anti-American terrorism in
recipient countries for a sample of 174 countries between 1968 and 2018. We
find that higher levels of aid especially for military financing and education
are associated with a higher likelihood of anti-American terrorism in aid-receiving
countries. Examining potential transmission channels, we show that more U.S.
military aid correlates with lower military capacity and increases in
corruption and exclusionary policies in recipient countries. Our findings are
consistent with the argument that military aid aggravates local grievances,
creating anti-American resentment and leading to anti-American terrorism.
Indeed, we also provide tentative evidence that U.S. military aid is associated
with lower public opinion about the United States in recipient countries.