Aid to poor countries is a tough sell in the UK today, as many Britons want their pounds directed at those people who are hurting closer to home. In response, former PM Sir John Major makes the case for foreign aid in the Telegraph today, eloquently blending the humanitarian and strategic rationales.
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“It’s no surprise that Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, the high-priests of global capitalism, have chosen to focus their vast philanthropic energies on tackling killer diseases in poor countries.
If the private sector can do this, should not responsible Government do so as well?”
Reminds me of this from Scott Sumner.
It sounds a little bit like one of his arguments is based on gratitude theory. I don’t know about the British Empire, but in America aid policy seems to be more based on Mayberry Machiavellianism, supporting whoever will pursue the “war on drugs”, vote the right way in the U.N, and generally just screwing up the rest of the world.
I always liked John Major. I thought he was a decent, honorable and intelligent man left in charge of a Tory party that was exhausted, bankrupt and chose to go insane for a period of time. (Though it never approached the depths of madness the Republican Party has achieved.) It’s nice to find myself still in agreement with him on something of importance.