The international community suffered a profound loss earlier this month when Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed in Libya. While the deplorable attack came at the hands of an extremist group, the collective response of the Muslim world has clearly not been supportive of the actions of a few. Within hours, Libya's interim president strongly condemned the "cowardly" attack and apologized to the United States. Yet almost immediately, some leaders in the United States seized upon the attack as a reason for the United States to end all foreign aid to Libya and other nations in the region.
Ambassador Stevens undoubtedly would have advocated a very different response. In his speech for the consular re-opening ceremony in Libya less than four weeks ago, Ambassador Stevens said, "Relationships between governments are important, but relationships between people are the real foundation of mutual understanding."
As Ambassador Stevens well understood, American foreign aid, in the form of economic assistance to provide humanitarian relief, is perhaps our greatest asset to forge steadfast relationships with billions of people in nations in every corner of the globe. In a post 9/11 world, hair-trigger reactions to cut off foreign assistance or replace it with armaments are not the solution.
We are at a crossroads as a global community. We can either embrace our connection as human beings or we can pull back into isolationism.
A far more powerful approach is to share American values through innumerable programs to improve health, education, equality and other aspects of life in parts of the world where those values are understood the least.
When a mother in malaria prone sub-Saharan Africa puts her child to sleep under a mosquito net that Americans supported, America is building a relationship with that family. When children in the Middle East attend a school that America funded, America is building a relationship with that community. When millions of citizens in Asia are devastated by a natural disaster and America intervenes to help rebuild, America is building a relationship with that nation.
Perhaps the best-documented recent example of the power of foreign assistance to influence public opinion was the response of the Indonesian people, the world's most populous Muslim country, after the U.S. provided hundreds of millions of dollars toward relief from the tsunami of 2004. In a series of nationwide surveys by TFT, two thirds of all Indonesians changed their opinion of the United States favorably because of the American response to the tsunami, with the highest percentage among those under age 30.
But it doesn't require a tsunami for development assistance to yield such benefits. Day after day, American foreign aid is dramatically improving millions of lives and consequently, impressions of America. After the U.S. Navy's hospital ship Mercy visited Bangladesh in 2006, a nationwide poll found that 87 percent of Bangladeshis said that the American humanitarian assistance favorably changed their opinion of the United States.
Foreign aid can be one of our most effective, long-term counter terrorism tools. As former National Security Advisor General Jim Jones has said,
The work being done in the global health world by the US and other nations is crucial for promoting global stability and eliminating the circumstances that foster hate and radicalism. In the 21st century it's not enough to have a strong and capable military to counter the threat of terrorism and instability.
Most Americans, when they realize that our investment in foreign assistance, at less than 1% of our GDP, can provide such transformative benefits, stand firmly behind this support, even in these more difficult economic times domestically. According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll, two thirds of Americans are supportive of maintaining the current level of US foreign support or would be supportive of even higher levels.
Yet notwithstanding the compelling evidence, development assistance is under threat, and it could not come at a more critical time. As the United Nations General Assembly convenes this week, the international community will be assessing progress toward the UN's health related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These bold goals, signed on to by 189 UN member states in 2000, aim to reduce child mortality by two thirds, maternal mortality by three quarters, and reverse the course of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, all by December 31, 2015.
Already, tremendous progress has been achieved, with child mortality down by over one third and maternal mortality down by half of what they were in 1990. Children's deaths from malaria have fallen by almost 50 percent since 2000. At the same time, this humanitarian effort is resulting in increased economic output, in Africa especially. A recent study by the consultancy, McKinsey and Company found that for every $1 invested in malaria, African economies can expect to see a $40 return in the form of increased productivity. These benefits not only help Africans, but also increase American trade and investment.
While American assistance has certainly played a catalytic role in these advances, even more impressive is the collaborative global model that has developed. The United Kingdom, France and many other nations as well as multilateral organizations including the World Bank and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, have played leading roles in achieving this progress. At the same time, commodity costs of health interventions are declining, leading to more effective aid -- items such as mosquito nets cost half of what they did ten years ago thanks to smarter assistance.
In addition, we are seeing emerging economies step up in new ways. India and China are creating their own development funds. Countries like Brazil, are turning down foreign assistance, and Nigeria is fine tuning their own development plans and investing internal resources, such as revenues from their oil revenues, in a substantial way.
In the midst of such innovative progress, the MDG Health Alliance, in partnership with key UN organizations, is leading the charge for a final "Big Push" to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by the end of 2015.
Funding is at the foundation of our effort, and it is only be securing sufficient resources that we can hope to strengthen our international relationships and improve lives on such a massive scale.
The bond that links us through humanitarian aid cannot be broken by the scenes of turmoil which occur at the hands of a few, when the mutual respect for that bond is so overwhelmingly strong. In the aftermath of the attack in Libya, what should be one of the most enduring images is of the streets crowded with peaceful citizens, holding signs of apology for the attacks and support for the United States. We cannot afford to let them down, or the billions of people like them across the world.
Thomas H. Kean a former governor of New Jersey, served as chairman of the Sept. 11 commission. Raymond G. Chambers is Chair of the MDG Health Alliance, and the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Malaria.
Wendy Chamberlin: After Benghazi: Diplomacy With a State; War With Within
Chip Lyons: Making a Campaign Commitment to an AIDS-Free Generation
Rev. Dr. James A. Kowalski: Making People's Hopes Our Own
America continues with the folly of Foreign Aid. A folly that costs us 50 Billion dollars a year. Out of all the recipient countries, Israel, a First World nation, and nuclear power, get 3.1 Billion dollars a year, every year. Why? So people will like us? So countries will be receptive to our policy requests? It is all a bunch of stuff. It is all a bunch of stuff and it is a complete waste.
With the exception of Food and Medicine, stop ALL cash Foreign Aid, and divert ALL the money to Medical Research in America. Imagine what a world class organization such as NIH, Johns Hopkins, The Mayo Clinic, Sloan Kettering and the Cleveland Clinic, could do with an extra Billion dollars each? An extra billion dollars a year, year after year.
Imagine cures or ameliorative treatments for:
KPC
Pancreatic cancer
Blindness
Deafness
MS
MD
Spinal cord injuries
Scarring
Huntington's
Brain tumors
Dementia
Burns
Kidney failure
Hepatitis
Emotional maladjustment
Mental illness
Pick your own illness or condition that needs research.
We have trillions to recklessly waste on drones, bombs, and other weapons of war, which are being used worldwide to inflict horrible damage on the innocent and on their desperately needed infrastructure.
We have only modest amounts from charities and even less from government to protect the innocent, to help them build the infrastructure they so desperately need.
Why do we persist in this bizarre charade of assigning blame for their hatred on some idiotic claim that “they hate us for our freedoms”?
We once had an active Peace Corps, which arguably was so successful in advancing our international reputation . We have hundreds of thousands of un- and under-employed youth with skills and education which could do so much good, and we neglect them, just like we neglect the needy worldwide.
As has been pointed out here, we have huge problems at home. What would be the effect of radically slashing the Defense (Offense?) budget, ending the waste of 50% of each of our health care dollars on profit for rich, and restoring meaningful progressivity to the tax code, and investing the savings in good deeds?
No change is likely under a corporate sell out like Obama, and certainly not under a corporate raider like Romney.
Only the fundamental; change of a third party offers us any hope.
www.voterocky.org/solutions
I would write in the name of Janet Hankins.
Absolutely, let's do those good deeds at home first, and then, as we recover, after we recover, let's remember that we live in an interconnected world in which all boats, especially our own, can rise on a rising tide of good will. Then we can return to what once made us greatest country in the world. As we become profitable again, and as others throughout the world become profitable, we can resume producing goods proudly labelled "Made in America", and services admired throughout every corner of the globe.
Please visit: http://dailycaller.com/2010/08/24/u-s-government-funds-mosque-renovation-and-rehabilitation-around-the-world/
Are you prepared to help poor White people in Appalachia?
We can give all the money in the world to people suffering, but until countries do enough to advance real liberty, it isn't gonna do any lasting good...
Nigeria alone will have a larger population than the US in less than 40 years. 400 million people will be living an nation that is about the size of New Mexico and Texas combined. Look at population projections, the majority of growth is occurring in nations that are currently considered developing. Nations with nothing will have more people sharing the few resources that they have. how can aid fix that?
The only way to help people is to open up markets and allow for self sufficiency. Poor people around the world need to be brought into the global economy. There needs to be more opportunities for them besides stealing from wealthy westerners over the internet (a large number of scams are based out of Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe)
This is more about autofellatio than actual concern for others. "Oh, we did very well by helping those poor people over there. They better appreciate our sacrifice." Concern means fixing problems, not throwing some money at people.
Global Depression All Governments will put the Needs of their own countries first as they should which means isolationism as the global economy continues to slow. Banker Debt which dwarfs the global economies Needs to be written down by the banks not socialized by the citizens. .
Other Sovereign Nations are taking steps to leave the US Dollar as the world reserve currency since the FED is debasing our currency by purchasing a Trillion a year.
USA Needs to import oil because we are not energy independent so that will temper our political foreign policy.
He has and uses today, a dead mans social security Number, from Ct.
Where he has never lived.
He, as well as Rev. Wright, were Muslims before they became Christian.
His church was sought out FOR him, as a means of learning the black experience in America and network with the communities, 20 YEARS ATTENDENCE.
"I could no more disconnect from Rev. wright, than my own family", He has done so both with his white Mother and Rev. Wright.
He has publicly admitted his Muslim Faith, audio and tape available.
His wife has publicly admitted his "homeland" as Africa, audio and tape available.
HIS BIAS "FOR" THE MUSLIM RADICALS, IS OBVIOUS AND MADE MORE CLEAR TODAY IN HIS COVERING FOR THE MUSLIM RADICALS IN A DELIBERATE predetermined and planned attack, that killed our American Ambassador and Marines.
It has been reported that the Marines were not allowed any ammunition in there weapons.
Let's do both.
IF YOU WANT TO THROW IN YOUR LOT WITH THE SAVAGES OF THE WORLD, MOVE TO A NATION THAT PROTECTS THERE VIOLENCE AND GRANTS IT EQUALITY TO FUNCTION AND OPERATE ACCORDING TO THERE OWN MINDS.