The significance of military aid on extreme violence in developing countries

Military aid is disbursed from super powers to developing countries that often have corrupt governments or regimes. This aid is used by repressive regimes to purchase manpower, training and arms with the intent of employing extreme violence. To assess military aids' influence on extreme violence, this thesis will examine the amount of military aid disbursed to governments/regimes after 1945 in cases where governments have eliminated their opponents or perceived enemies through extreme violence, including genocide. The regions of focus are Latin America and Africa; both regions have experienced extreme violence based on ethnicity, religion or political opposition. Previous literature has focused on the association between military aid and human rights abuses. However, there are gaps in previous literature regarding the significance of this association. This thesis will thoroughly analyze the significance of U.S. military aid on extreme violence in Chile (1973), Colombia (1952), Rwanda (1994), and Darfur (2004). The significance of U.S. military aid on extreme violence in developing countries is analyzed by establishing an association between the two variables, applying that association to the aforementioned developing countries, establishing repressive regime responsibility for acts of extreme violence, and examining U.S. military aid allocations to each respective country.