Foreign Aid Effects

The American policy of Marshall Aid sparked both huge appraisal and significant opposition, and to this day it is debated whether it was purely a policy of self-interest and an imposition of America’s political and economic views on a weak and vulnerable Europe, or alternatively one of the greatest acts of altruism and generosity in modern history. It was enormously successful, ‘It was the most unambiguously and triumphantly successful of all America’s post-war policies’ , and helped to create a foundation on which Europe could become an economic power. While there were benefits to America which may have been interpreted as attempts to increase American power and inflamed opposition to the Marshall Plan, the administering of economic aid

They also called for reform of the humanitarian response and development assistance, to enhance resilience and promote long-term solutions. Also, the US supports developmental assistance over military aid. ThinkAfricaPress states “Western governments look set to increase their military support for Sahelian and Saharan countries. But they do this based on incorrect assumptions, misguided objectives and questionable methods. At best, this trend will cost a lot of money and lives, and achieve little. At worst, it will lead to a worsening spiral of violence, producing the very outcomes Western powers fear.”

aid can be used to protect the United States from threats from other nations. Beyond humanitarian aid, there is a more complex interpretation of what U.S. foreign aid is and what it does both for the recipient country and America. For example, building democratic governments in other countries is one strategy for fighting terrorism. The United States has long had the reputation of using its military forces for good, such as during World War II when American soldiers helped to defeat Hitler’s Nazism. When dealing with a repressive regime which does not want to engage in democracy military force may be necessary. I am convinced that the United States can provide a healthy dose of overwhelming firepower if that is what it

Foreign aid is something that is provided by donating governments to countries in need, mostly third-world countries. Foreign aid is allocated for two extremely broad categories, economic development and military aid. Under these categories there are specific uses for foreign aid like, health, humanitarian assistance, democratic elections and even protection for forests. There is debate about foreign aid being a waste because of corrupt governments, which gives the United States speculation whether it should continue to provide foreign aid and how much. This was a popular topic in the 2012 election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. It would be most beneficial to the United States to maintain foreign aid levels while having conditions

Economic aid for nations, especially Europe, was another weapon used to fight the war. After World War II, most of European countries were in a desperate situation. They suffered in poverty, hunger, and disease. Improved technology and the development of explosives with massive powers led to the devastation of Europe. Approximately 36 million European men have died in World War II. Not only did the population decrease, infrastructure had to be reconstructed and it required tremendous amount of reparation. As the European countries were weakened economically and militarily, they were desperate and more likely to rather fall into and be attracted to the Soviet Union’s communism than United States’ democracy. United

Following World War II, all of Europe was left in a clutter of disarray. Instead of watching Europe endure the hardships left from the war, the United States went to Europe’s aid. From 1947 to 1952, European nations experienced a time of massive growth. The Marshall Plan called for the nations of Europe to draw up a program for economic and political recovery from the war. The plan was a response to American concerns that communist parties were growing stronger across Europe and that the Soviets might intervene. The Marshall Plan also reflected the belief that US aid for European economic recovery would create strong democracies and open new markets for American goods. After World War II, The European Recovery Program was instrumental in economically

After WWII, much of Europe was left in ruins and millions of people were left homeless and jobless. Soon, however, America stepped in and helped begin the recovery process or better known as the Marshall Plan. This plan included $12 billion in food, equipment and services for both Western Europe and Japan. “Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos. Its purpose should be the revival of a working economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political and social conditions in which free institutions can exist.”(George C. Marshall, An American Plan to rebuild a shattered Europe)

Many skeptics challenge the reasoning for investing so much money into helping so many other countries when that money could instead help us improve internal affairs. After all, foreign aid spending has increased to $50 billion a year today, which could be put towards funding education to ensure that more kids go to college and possibly affecting the innovation of the future(Morris). Giving more than you receive is nice, but when it involves a country 's financial crisis, maybe it 's best if Santa cuts back some of this year 's presents. And although the argument may be valid, lending out a helping hand can create more allies than enemies to help us in return when we need it. In fact, foreign aid only accounts for 0.5 percent of the federal budget (Stearn). Compared to all the other matters at hand that the government is worrying about, the amount of spending put into aiding poorer countries is positive in both a moral aspect and a political aspect.

If the money used for going to war was used on things that are beneficial to our own people we would still be able to maintain what we need through trade with those who are willing. By using this money on our own country we could spend it on things that are actually necessary, like college and social security. According to the text, “American citizens and troops would be safer if the US government put all of its focus on its own security, rather than foreign affairs.” (Source #3) Despite the last point being relevant in some situations, it is more important that we help those who are not capable of getting the help they deserve in the place they used to know as

Ever had that one friend? The one who tries to help, but no matter how hard he tries, he just aggravates the situation. This friend, Steve, insists he is helping, and those around, too, would support that he is indeed helping. But Steve is actually worsening the circumstances. He is like countries who provide foreign aid to less developed countries. Foreign aid, defined as “the international transfer of capital, goods, or services from a country or international organization for the benefit of the recipient country or its population,” can be military, economic, or humanitarian (“Foreign”). It is often granted to less developed countries in order to evoke government reforms or to stimulate economic growth. However, foreign aid neither elicits government reform, nor does it consistently and reliably stimulate economic growth; therefore, the United States should discontinue providing foreign economic aid.

In June 1947, Secretary of State Marshall offered economic aid to the nations of Europe, including the Soviet Union, to help them rebuild their economies after all the destruction during World War II (Brands 655). This was offered to bring stability to the nations of Europe so that they could deter the Soviet Union from invading. The Soviet Union and its satellites denied the aid offered by the Soviet Union, but all the other nations of Europe requested $17 billion in aid from the United States, and the Marshall Plan “generated an industrial revival in Western Europe that became self-sustaining by the 1950s” (Brands 655-656). The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan showed that the United States was willing to spend as much money as was needed to protect the capitalistic west and contain communism.

The United States is one of the industrialized countries that offer a small amount of aid. ( Fact Based)

Foreign aid is a term referring to resources and money lent out or given to a ‘recipient nation’ who is in need by a wealthier ‘donor country’. This can be given either in long term ‘humanitarian aid’, aimed at improving the welfare and development of the human population, or short term ‘emergency aid’ focused on providing the daily necessities to a population after a war, or natural disaster. Despite common belief, the purpose of foreign aid is not only to help countries which are in need, but also to achieve a range of social, economic, cultural and geopolitical goals that will benefit our national interest. Australia is currently the largest foreign aid donor of its nearest neighbour,

1948-1951: Marshall Plan: World War II left significant damage in western European countries. The United States created the Marshall Plan to provide economic support to these countries after the war. They wanted to rebuild regions destroyed by war, modernize industry, and stabilize economy. The United States was afraid of communism rising in these damaged countries because of the weak economic conditions that resulted from the war. Also, the United States considered western European countries to be strong areas for trade and investment and they did not want to risk not having these relations because of communism. The Marshall Plan successfully contributed to the rehabilitation of western European economies and set the basis of the European economic systems that exist today.

Famine and unemployment, coupled with the near destruction of the continent’s infrastructure left Europe on the brink of economic collapse and starvation. America began supplying financial aid to Europe immediately after the end of the war, George C. Marshall developed the first piece of foreign policy that would serve to not only assist in the rebuilding of Europe, but also counter the growing communist influence on the continent. “Marshall was convinced the key to restoration of political stability lay in the revitalization of national economies. Further he saw political stability in Western Europe as a key to blunting the advances of communism in that region.” http://marshallfoundation.org/marshall/the-marshall-plan/history-marshall-plan/