An article in yesterday’s New York Times caught my attention. It concerns the U.S. budget for foreign aid programs and long-time readers will know this is a subject we discuss here from time to time. Most recently I mentioned it in a blog post in August in which I noted public misconceptions about the size of the foreign aid budget. Public opinion surveys show that Americans think that foreign aid accounts for a sizable portion of the federal budget, up to 25%, when in reality, it’s around 1% of the budget. This means that all of the famine assistance and earthquake assistance (both recently in the news) and aid for development (so a country can build roads to transport medicine and staff hospitals to treat people) and the funding for advisors sent to help coordinate aid and work to end conflicts…all of that is funded by less than 1% of the federal budget deficit. And now, according to the New York Times, that miniscule amount is under threat from budget cutters:
As lawmakers scramble to trim the swelling national debt, both the Republican-controlled House and the Democrat-controlled Senate have proposed slashing financing for the State Department and its related aid agencies at a time of desperate humanitarian crises and uncertain political developments. The proposals have raised the specter of deep cuts in food and medicine for Africa, in relief for disaster-affected places like Pakistan and Japan, in political and economic assistance for the new democracies of the Middle East, and even for the Peace Corps. The financial crunch threatens to undermine a foreign policy described as “smart power” by President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, one that emphasizes diplomacy and development as a complement to American military power.
At a time when the U.S. in winding down in Iraq and Afghanistan, withdrawing military forces and sending in development advisors and diplomats, is this a time to be cutting their budget? Our leaders have been quick to praise “smart power” but can we do more than just talk about it?
The budget crisis is indeed serious, but most policymakers realize that it’s often cheaper to promote peace than fight wars. Can’t we afford to give peace a chance?
Image Credit: The New York Times/John Moore/Getty Images
