US to Increase aid to clear unexploded bombs in Laos

Secretary Of State John F. Kerry said Monday that the United States is considering increasing financial aid to help Laos clear the countryside of unexploded ordnance left over from the Vietnam War more than four decades ago.
Speaking with reporters at the end of a one-day stop in the impoverished, Communist-
run country, Kerry said no final figure has been determined, but discussions are
underway to increase it.


The United States has been helping find and clear unexploded ordnance for more than
half a decade, starting with $5 million a year and gradually rising to $15 million last year
and $19.5 this year. The efforts have resulted in a significant decline in the number of
Laotians killed and seriously wounded, which was averaging 300 a year. 

"We're now down to about 50 a year," Kerry said, adding, "And 50 a year is still too
many." 

Kerry said he expected a final aid package to be completed by the time President Obama
comes to Laos this summer to attend a meeting Of the Association Of South East Asian
Nations (ASEAN). Kerry said the United States will continue or establish a number of
programs, including one focusing on child nutrition and another to strengthen dams
along on the Mekong River, a vital tributary that runs through six countries. 

Kerry arrived Sunday night in Laos, a country he first visited in the 1990s as a senator
when he helicoptered to jungle sites trying to locate the remains of POWs or MIAs from
the Vietnam War, which he famously served in on a swift boat patrolling the Mekong
River. 

His visit to this tiny nation that rarely makes international news is a rare one for
American diplomats. He is only the third secretary of state to ever visit Laos, after John
Foster Dulles in 1955 and Hillary Clinton in 2012. 

Relations have been standoffish for decades between Washington and the Commumst
rulers of the Lao People's Republic, who only last week chose a new leader for the single-
party government. But in recent years, the two countries have worked to establish
warmer ties. Kerry laid a bouquet Of closed lotus blossoms at a Third Century B.C.
Buddhist monument where the Communist red flag with a hammer and sickle flew from
shrine roofs alongside the Laotian national flag 

Kerry came to Vientiane to lay the groundwork for a summit President Obama will host
in February for the 10 countries in ASEAN, a group that Laos chairs this year. Obama's
attendance at an ASEAN meeting in Vientiane will mark the first time U.S. president ever
has visited the landlocked country. 

All the high-level visiting to Laos is part of the administration's efforts to pay more
attention to Asia, an area that is expected to be the engine for future economic growth.
Kerry goes on Tuesday to Cambodia, boasting one of Asia's fastest growing economies.


Response:

This article is primarily addressing the topic of American diplomats, specifically, John F. Kerry, going to Laos, a communist country, to help clear unexploded bombs from the country side. There is also an underlying topic, that American diplomats are giving this financial aid and help to Asian countries, because they have the most economical resources. As normal, the government is not helping this country/countries out of the kindness of their hearts, but rather are looking for a way to improve the USAs standing. The USA desires to have the upper hand, and from this article, they are willing to support communist countries to do so. (This was not the case a few years ago) Personally, I am not against the government supporting these countries and partnering with them, but it seems that the government is going against their morals in doing so, which I do disagree with. The author seems to feel similarly, as it speaks on the way in which the government is partnering with Laos, and includes that the reason behind their interest in Asia, is because it is "the engine for future economic growth." 

Morello, Carol. "U.S. to Increase Aid to Clear Unexploded Bombs in Laos." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2016. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-to-increase-aid-to-clear-unexploded-bombs-in-laos/2016/01/25/d5462bd2-bfcb-11e5-98c8-7fab78677d51_story.html>.