NEW YORK - At the recent donors' meeting on Georgia, aid pledges rolled in, totaling $4.5 billion - about $1,000 per citizen of Georgia. That's the good news. The bad news is that the meeting was restricted to donors and Georgia's government, with Transparency International criticizing its opaque decision-making process.

Lack of transparency and accountability in how money is spent in wars, and in the rebuilding that takes place after them, no longer play well with taxpayers. In light of increasing global demand for aid and falling supply (down 12% over the last two years), its effective and transparent use is becoming more imperative. And governments that are not accountable to their citizens will most likely fail in this regard.