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In response to Chris O'Connor's post:
"There is very little room for morality in the high stakes arena of
international relations. However, whereas most nations give no thought to the concerns of other, the US is one of the few countries that does actually participate in global events in order to help others, and not just further its own ends. These activities run the gambit from helping rebuild central american countries battered by hurricanes, to sending food to poverty stricken African nations. Some people are always ready to blame the US for every wrong in the world simply because it it currently the most powerful nation, but in foreign policy you have to first look out for your countries interests, and then if you can help out where needed. The US often cant win when it comes to helping or not helping: when it sent in troops to guard the UN food shipments in Somalia it was criticised for risking US lives and sticking its nose in other countries' business, but when it didnt get involved in Rwanda it was criticised for letting the genocide occur (If we had moved in and replaced the governement to stop it Im sure we would have been accused of Imperialism and neocolonialism). the real test of a countries foreign policy is "does it protect the interests of its citizens abroad" and to that I would have to say yes." While the United States does engage in international relief efforts, I think you are overemphasizing the role that it plays. There are certainly more than "a few" countries that participate in international aid. In fact, if you look at foreign aid spending as a percentage of GNP, the United States is at the very bottom among developed nations. About one percent of our budget goes to international aid, and the vast majority of this is military aid. I wouldn’t hold up the United States’ relief efforts as evidence of our altruism. They really are just the bare minimum. If anyone is interested in the field of international aid, I highly recommend Paula Hoy’s book Players and Issues in International Aid. It’s a little hard to come by, but it’s an excellent source of information. |