It is believed that generosity is a virtue that needs to be enriched. However, when it comes to global aid developed countries do not provide aid just for altruistic reasons. Aid provided by donor countries is not driven by generosity but by strategic economic and political motives. As a result, global aid does not help in improving the lives of the needy but makes the situation worse for them.
Global aid provided by nations is often viewed as being done on humanitarian ground. But global aid provided by one country might be guised as assistance but it only assists the donor country economically and politically. For example, in 2018, the UK prime minister Theresa May provided aid to Nairobi in the form of aid packages but the real intention was expanding to the African markets and securing investment opportunities for UK companies. Similarly, Donald Trump also in one of his speeches mentioned that countries that receive foreign aid from the US will be examined for having “our interests at heart”. All these instances prove that global aid is not provided due to selfless reasons but is tied to economic and political benefits for the donor country.
The idea of providing global aid might be selfish but aid can be effective and beneficial for people. In 2017, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation issued a call to the world’s largest economy to redouble its financial commitment to needy countries. In 2019, the foundation mentioned that if the US wanted to help itself it should provide foreign aid and improve global health. Examining the recent coronavirus outbreak, we see countries providing aid on humanitarian grounds in an attempt to strengthen global healthcare systems. Moreover, countries today are trying to reduce the migrant crisis by providing aid to improve educational systems in developing and underdeveloped countries. It can be said that gradually there is a shift in how aid is provided which addresses the issues at the root instead of being superficial. Therefore, by changing the way in which aid is provided people’s life can be improved and changed for the better.
However, the path to provide aid is filled with hurdles in the form of governments who receive this aid. Many times, the governments who receive the aid are corrupt and never let the aid reach the people who really need it. There have been cases where foreign aid has been used by corrupt officials like in the case of South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma. Such corruption has also bee seen in countries like Nepal and Liberia. Foreign aid thus fails in improving lives of people in the countries where corruption is widespread. In fact, in corrupt countries, foreign strengthen corruption in these countries which and adds to the woes of the people.
Moreover, providing foreign aid can lead to dependence and make countries unstable. While short term foreign aid can help countries to solve their problems like in the case of South Korea and Taiwan. However, on the other hand, providing too much aid can lead countries to become dependent and develop a crutch mentality. The foreign aid if provided continuously can prove counter-productive and lead to social and political instability. This can be seen in the case of Liberia, where, foreign aid gave people the sense of stability but when foreign aid was pulled away the country was pushed into economic doldrums and instability which led to protests and demonstrations. Similarly, Afghanistan is heavily reliant on foreign aid and has led to corruption in the country. International economists have warned about providing excessive aid to countries as it leads to the deterioration of the country. In cases, like these, it is important that foreign aid should not be excessive and should be only to an extent where the country can wean itself off from foreign aid. As the Chinese proverb says, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” Thus, excessive foreign aid does not improve lives but only gives false hopes to people and negatively affect the country politically and economically.
In conclusion, global aid does not do much to improve the lives of people who need it the most. However, with a shift in the way aid is provided it can result in better outcomes. In some cases, foreign aid can definitely help to alleviate the issues plaguing people, however, there is a need for foreign aid to be truly selfless.