- There is a gap between collective awareness of major social, environmental, political and economic problems and the resources mobilized to meet them. This gap can be interpreted as a problem of hypocrisy, policy, or perception (a “reality gap”).
- The Kiel Institute has tracked €143.6 billion of financial, humanitarian, and military aid committed to Ukraine between January 24, 2022 and January 15, 2023. Poland is contributing the most in proportional terms (2.1% of GDP), followed by the US and Germany (0.375% of GDP).
- The US and Germany are not contributing as much as they have in past military-economic efforts. Furthermore, their contributions to Ukraine are less than their contributions to other emergencies.
- Ukraine is in need of $3.5 billion per month. The US and Europe have committed to providing enough to cover that, but payments do not arrive in a steady or reliable fashion.
- The gap between declared intentions and actual delivery of aid to Ukraine is vast. This raises questions of cynicism, incompetence, and a “reality gap”.
- The course of the war in 2023 is highly uncertain. If Russia does not crumble, the “reality gap” may close in the direction of greater financial and military aid.
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Published February 25, 2023
Visit Chartbook to read Adam Tooze’s original post Chartbook #197: The Ukraine-Aid Reality Gap
