Usaid And Foreign Policy

USAID and American Foreign Aid

When one thinks of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and American Foreign Aid, they could easily compare it to a large octopus. By using an analogy such as an octopus, one could relate the many tentacles to USAID reaching out to third world countries trying to develop budding democracies. According to the article, USAID was developed in 1961 to promote American values; what better way to do this then to provide aid for countries that are or may be possible threats to the United States. Currently the U.S. is embroiled in a war with Iraq, which was started originally because Iraq was suspected of possessing Weapons of Mass Destruction, but now we know that Iraq did not have any Weapons of Mass Destruction. This charge was used as a way for the United States to get involved in helping a possible threat become an ally. Hopefully this time around the United States is more successful than we were in Vietnam. The United States created this agency as a sort of marketing agency to promote itself throughout the world, thus making the United States a very "marketable" commodity per say. Our taxpayer's dollars are being put to good use by helping the third world countries. USAID works to promote democracies. If these countries were to conform into democracies, the United States would not have to worry so much about helping them. No amount of money is worth jeopardizing our security.

USAID's mission was to promote long-term economic and social development around the world. The agency has often been the target of critics who argue that the agency mainly serves American economics and political interests abroad. They believe that USAID not only fails to promote American values, but actually undermines democracy, equality, and liberty in many of the countries where it provides assistance. Critics used the agricultural programs as an example since many of the agricultural programs that supported USAID replaced local farming with cheaper American food sources. By doing this, they help