International negotiators are trying to coordinate foreign aid to help diminish povery and promote economic development. "Diplomats at the United Nations worked late into the night to agree on a package of measures to be adopted at the World Summit, opening on Wednesday," BBC News reports. "They have reportedly reached agreement on fighting global poverty, condemning terrorism and preventing genocide, but UN reform is still a sticking point."
Students of international relations are usually taught that foreign aid represents less the one percent of the U.S. federal budget and yet provides important humanitarian assistance and helps increase national security by promoting development and economic security abroad. In "Time to Stop Fooling Ourselves about Foreign Aid: A Practitioner's View," Thomas Dichter, a career aid practitioner, writes for the Cato Institute that foreign aid is ineffective in reducing poverty and fails to encourage economic growth. Drawing upon his extensive field experience, he asserts that foreign aid "has not worked, is not likely to work in the future, and cannot work," as a means to reduce world poverty.
What is your view of foreign aid? Do you think the U.S. should increase or decrease the amount of foreign assistance it provides? Has foreign aid coming into the U.S. after Hurricane Katrina (US accepting foreign aid - Indianapolis Star) changed your view of foreign aid?
posted by Joel @ 4:11 PM
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