Battleangel

Pro-american pundits would probably complain loudly that the ranking isn’t based on absolute figures, as is their tradition. You know the tune by now and it goes far back in the conservative tradition..
But in fact, this graph presents the U.S. contribution far too favorably, namely because it fails to account for conditional aid as it were. America, via its infamous USAID hoax has by and large turned development assistance into a bridgehead for American hegemony and economic interests, at best, and more to the point an ideological weapon. Basically, political considerations have trumped humanitarian needs. As such, much of the U.S. assistance should really be dubbed foreign policy investments instead of aid.

To be fair though, the idea of ulterior motives is one that is integral to the aid coming from the G8 group, not just the U.S. specifically. The leading nations in the ranking, Norway, Sweden and so forth, have on the other hand been pleasantly inefficient when it comes to taking advantage of the goodwill and the doors that aid can open. Just as the same nations have fortunately been inept at making arms exports work in their geopolitical or economic favour.