An expert brief posted on the Council for Foreign Relation's website examines the "messy politics" of HIV donor support. Despite criticism, the author writes, the U.S. government is "by far the biggest supporter of both bilateral and multilateral HIV efforts," noting that when combined with private donations including the Gates Foundation, the U.S. accounts for 85 percent of global HIV/AIDS support. The author also observes the "essentially zeroed out" commitment from AIDS 2010's host Austria and notes that none of the Eastern European countries, including Russia, "even sent high-level delegations to the conference, though the region has the fastest-growing HIV epidemic." The author also describes the world's growing economies -- China, Brazil and India -- as "negligible donors." Additionally, the post examines President Obama's FY2011 foreign assistance budget request and how Congress has responded (Garrett, 8/4).

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