>>>SNIP
>>>>
>>>>And you think we don't do the same? Do you have any idea what The Netherlands with only 16 Million people have donated to the Tsunami? Hint it was more than a 3rd of the US donation !! And a lot faster than the US btw. The US was critisised initially because it slow and lukewarm response at the time. See http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/dis_tsu_fun_ple_pergdp-tsunami-funds-pledged-per-gdp. Oh and which insignificant navy force was there in New Orleans to help out three years ago?
>>>>
>>>SNIP
>>>
>>>That link doesn't say what kind of donations they are measuring -- from the government or does it include private donations? I know a lot of Americans donated out of their own pockets, including me. When things like the tsunami or Katrina happen, Americans do pitch in. I'm not saying we do more of it than people from other countries. But I don't think we do less of it, either.
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>>According to the definition link, it is excluding private donations. It might be too difficult to include those private donations. The point here is that the US certainly is not alone when it comes to forreign aid, and from the statistics there are countries that giving a lot more relatively. Therefore a conclusion the the US is the leader when it comes to forreign aid is misplaced and does not respect the efforts of all those countries who are doing more than the US does.

$2.825 Billion US public and private donations not including military transport and on the ground humanitarian contributions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanitarian_response_to_the_2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake.

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>>Again, this this not meant as an attack to the US, that they should give more. But rather to give a counterweight to the arrogant, ignorant and insulting tone that the US is leader in all respects without knowing the facts of what is happening elsewhere in the world. A little more respect to the world outside would not do any harm in an attempt to restore the views of how countries look a the US.
>
>I certainly agree with your last sentence. As far as the tsunami aid, though, I didn't say the U.S. was alone. You are the one who brought it up and said it showed the U.S. gave less than many other countries. I questioned whether that was true if private donations were included along with direct government payments. My guess remains that there were generous donations from all over the world.