Foreign Aid

Foreign aid is financial help, resources, and expertise that one nation provides to another to achieve political, military, humanitarian, or developmental goals. One study identifies three main categories used by the United States to serve both its own interests and the wellbeing of other nations: military aid, humanitarian aid, and economic development aid.¹

What Is Military Aid For?

Military aid includes weapons, training, or other support to help allies defend themselves and maintain peace. According to this view, such aid should follow the principles of just war and be given to those defending their freedom against aggression. The moral rightness of military assistance depends on whether it helps protect peace and stop unjust attackers.²

Why Give Humanitarian Help?

Humanitarian aid meets immediate physical and medical needs in times of crisis. It takes the form of food, medicine, clothing, and financial support for areas hit by disasters such as floods, hurricanes, or drought. The United States has provided large amounts of such relief, both through government programs funded by taxpayers and through private organizations that work abroad to relieve suffering.³

Does Economic Development Aid Help or Harm?

Economic development aid is different from emergency relief. It aims to help poor nations grow, but critics argue it often has the opposite effect. Large amounts of foreign funds, especially in many African nations, have gone through corrupt governments and strengthened those in power who control the aid. This approach can trap nations in dependency rather than helping them become self-supporting and stable. The evidence suggests that giving money for development often delays, rather than advances, true economic health.⁴

References

Wayne A. Grudem, Politics - According to the Bible: A Comprehensive Resource for Understanding Modern Political Issues in Light of Scripture (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 450–451.
Grudem, Politics - According to the Bible, 450.
Ibid., 451.
Ibid.