America is both by far the biggest donor to flood relief and the biggest source of other bilateral aid.
Regional sanctions are unlikely, but the United States may cut its bilateral aid, and block new loans from the World Bank and others.
The critics soon found their voice again when it became clear that much of this would be bilateral aid, rather than aid channelled through the Global Fund.
Bilateral aid by individual EU members, chiefly Germany and France, or guarantees for Greek debt issues seem the most likely solution but no decision appears imminent on the form of assistance.
So now that Washington has decided to provide bilateral aid for Uruguay, using the same fund as that used to bail out Mexico in 1995, alarm bells are ringing in some quarters.
However, there is little evidence of the generosity necessary to make it work: the Bush administration has so far been unable fully to fund its own ambitious bilateral-aid plan, the Millennium Challenge Account.
Economic progress depends on sustained bilateral and multilateral aid, on responsible government economic management, and on continued technical assistance from multilateral and bilateral donors.
It could seek bilateral backing and aid, like that provided by Japan and Australia.
Initiatives such as Malaysia's proposal to use ASEAN currencies in bilateral trade and aid from the G-7 industrial countries to prop up the rupiah may help.
For her part, Clinton complained about the congressional holds placed on foreign aid and bilateral assistance.
Mr Gilman's view is that there was less outright pilferage than is commonly believed, though American food aid and bilateral trade credits were two areas where corruption was endemic.
Traditional bilateral relations that focused on aid need to be replaced by new approaches that focus on economic diplomacy.
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But the aid it received from all donors, multilateral and bilateral, amounted to about 14 times that figure.
It will be the third round of bilateral talks since last summer, aimed at restarting six-nation aid-for-disarmament negotiations on North Korea's nuclear program.
Aid will be more targeted: over 100 countries currently receive bilateral assistance from Britain.
Mr Bush recently waived restrictions on military aid to 21 countries, and curbs on economic aid to a further 14, despite their refusal to sign bilateral immunity deals.
By pooling money from different donors, it attempts to cut aid free from at least some of the strings associated with individual donors' bilateral assistance.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has considered the possibility of Germany providing bilateral help to Greece, though she insists she is not yet ready to talk about aid with Mr Papandreou.
Mr Kerry also says he would open bilateral talks with North Korea and Iran, appoint presidential envoys to the Middle East and for nuclear proliferation, boost aid to failed states, spend more on public diplomacy, stop research and development of new nuclear weapons and even give all Americans a chance to learn a foreign language.
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