I’ll offer two thoughts. One is that it might be good to put at least as much effort into considering what we can do to help those who need help around the world as we seem to be putting into considering how to alter our buying habits so as to buy American less frequently. Buying in to “Buy Canadian” campaigns is playing by Trump’s playbook; while I can understand the motivation, the fundamental principle involved seems to me to be just as unattractive as are Trump’s own “Buy American” campaigns.
On the other hand, we are certainly not playing by Trump’s playbook if we reach out (and reach into our wallets) to try to help those in need around the world. Charities such as UNHCR and Medecins sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Borders (as well as faith-based charities such as World Vision and Islamic Relief) are doing everything they can to fill the gaps left by the cuts to USAID; we can help by contributing to one or more of them as generously as we can. (Before writing the next paragraph, I’ll go to the MSF website and make a contribution.)
A second thought has to do with the fact that Trump and his ilk are doing everything they can to undermine not just programs, but also decent, human values. Cuts to foreign aid create untold damage for the world’s most needy; more subtly, the very way in which discussions of foreign aid are increasingly framed works to undermine ethical values.
There is nothing subtle, of course, about the way the Trump administration itself rejects altruism and embraces selfishness for America. A recent statement from the US State Department leaves no room for doubt:
Every dollar we spend, every project we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?Increasingly, though, even those who oppose the Trump administration's cuts to foreign aid do not argue that, as humans, we should be generous to those who most need help; what they emphasise instead is that we should maintain foreign aid because it helps us. As reported today by Mark Rendell in the Globe, Christopher Hernandez-Roy, deputy director of the Americas program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, criticized the decision to close USAID on the grounds that such a move undermines a crucial component of America’s “soft power” in the world. In Canada, a spokesperson for Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, expressed deep concern at the decision to shut down USAID, and emphasized self-interest as a reason for Canadians to continue to provide foreign aid: "Foreign aid is not a handout; it’s an investment in the safety, security, and well-being of Canadians and communities around the world.”
That foreign aid is to a large extent in the donor country's own self-interest is no doubt true. But surely the most important justification for foreign aid is simply that humans who are fortunate enough to be living comfortable lives should be generous to those who are in need. To give and to give generously should not need to be justified as an “investment” or through appeals to self-interest. And there should be no shame in giving those in need short-term as well as long-term assistance. What those who rely on the soup kitchens in Khartoum need right now is indeed a hand-out—and those of us who can afford to help give them just that should be proud to do so. Trump does everything he can to taint generosity; let’s not play along.
