Argumentative Essay On Foreign Aid

Foreign aid is not a modern concept. Louis Picard and Terry Buss write that Egypt received the services of architects and contractors in 336 A.D., sent by Greece’s Alexander the Great to help build the city of Alexandria, named after its benefactor (qt. in Marshall). Throughout the United States’ history, national support of foreign aid has fluctuated. Some presidential administrations offered significant assistance, such as F.D. Roosevelt’s Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after the devastation of World War II. Others participated less enthusiastically on the world stage, such as when G.W. Bush declined to have the U.S. take a seat on the newly-formed U.N. Human Rights Council in 2006 (Kesten). In 2017, the debate continues. The United States’

Alliance, and dramatically cut international economic assistance. The United States funds the largest portion of U.N. spending; therefore, the U.S. should decrease its contribution to a more equitable level (Kesten). Historically, substantial amounts of foreign aid have disappeared unethically, lining the pockets of corrupt leaders of foreign countries; it is estimated that $100 billion of assistance to Afghanistan (since 2001) has vanished this way (Marshall). Additionally, controversial social and medical programs such as abortion, sex education, and pregnancy prevention (despite being legal in the United States) often appears in arguments against U.S. assistance (Marshall). Finally, the current argument for downsizing foreign aid is to increase funding for President Trump’s top priorities, including boosting national defense, building a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, and cutting taxes (Groppe). Clearly, these persuasive arguments support reducing U.S. foreign aid

This makes them more likely to utilize established laws as a means of dispute resolution rather than turning to physical violence, such as terrorism. Similarly, aid targeted to promote education and health is also effective in dampening terrorism” (Savun and Tiron).
Further, as Mark Lagon, Chief Policy Officer at the Council on Foreign Relations writes, “… [one finding] in international relations is that established democracies never go to war with one another,” a quite convincing argument for utilizing assistance to build foreign democratic states. Additionally, developing countries utilize U.S. aid to benefit their financial stability, resulting in a larger global export market for U.S. goods and services (Marshall). Altogether, United States foreign aid provides many valuable