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The Soft Power and Foreign Aid Debate
Which is the most effect effective, and why is it necessary?
In the current political climate, a lot of stories are swinging in a way that they never swung before. The latest stories are those that are saying that foreign aid never really promoted American goals anyway, and that it’s soft power that counted. One story I read indicated that America had lost the respect of the international community because it had lost its moral authority. This is just a general picture of what is being spoken about.
It’s a losing argument: Aid organisations are no longer relevant to governments’ foreign policy aims of economic competition and security — which is precisely why the aid sector is now in the crosshairs. And current foreign policy aims run counter to humanitarian principles. The New Humanitarian
The current aid debate brings up questions that have not been given much attention outside of policy circles. What is the purpose of development aid, and has it changed over time? Is aid spending about spurring development, or is it about advancing the interests of the donor? In a new article published in International Organization, I argue that donor governments increasingly see development promotion as an exercise in self-interest. That is, donors use aid to encourage development that is in their own…
