You may have noticed that one of the post categories for this blog is “U.S. Aid” and it's devoted to news and commentary about U.S. efforts to provide financial and humanitarian assistance to other countries. I see this as one of the pillars of the traditional U.S. role in the world, we like to see ourselves as a generous and compassionate country, always willing to help in times of need. Most recently the U.S. provided high profile humanitarian assistance after Myanmar's cyclone disaster, and that is but one example of the many ongoing U.S. aid programs that help people all over the world. Aid programs though are not without critics, as this Washington Post report notes:
The United States, the world's largest international aid donor, is among the worst at promoting the independence, impartiality and neutrality of humanitarian aid deliveries to needy populations, according to a survey by a Madrid-based nonprofit group that monitors donors’ performance. The Development Assistance Research Associates (DARA) Humanitarian Response Index 2008 measures how effectively the world's 23 largest donors deliver aid. The United States ranked 15th in overall effectiveness and 13th in the level of generosity measured by the size of its economy. […] DARA's findings reflect what it called the United States’ use of humanitarian assistance to achieve military or political goals in eight crisis zones the group studied, including Afghanistan, Colombia and the Palestinian territories. The assessment challenges the United States’ view of itself “as the paragon of global compassion,” Larry Minear, a retired professor at Tufts University, wrote in the report.
The criticism here seems to be that U.S. aid is self-serving. Do you think this is a valid criticism? Do you think that the U.S. should give aid freely and without conditions, or is it entirely appropriate to give assistance with a view towards how it will further U.S. goals and strategies? At a time of fiscal austerity, I’m guessing that many of you would find it prudent for the U.S. to offer aid that not only alleviates the suffering of disaster victims but also promotes U.S. interests. In this way we can envision U.S. aid not simply as an act of charity but as a long-term investment and a wise use of scarce resources.
