http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/world/africa/09kenya.html?ref=world
Aid in Africa
I chose this piece primarily because it was one of the only optimistic articles in today’s paper. More than eighty “Millennium Villages” have been aided in Africa, lead by Jeffrey D. Sachs, who aims to show that technology-based aid and education carries great potential to help African villages escape poverty. So far, his “Millennium Villages” have been a success, by teaching farmers how to cultivate new crops, rotate these crops, keep bees and harvest honey, and to use bed nets to stop the spread of malaria. This article showcases the liberalist faith in the importance of non-government actors in international politics. The “Millennium Villages”, lead by one man, have changed the lives of thousands. “Colleagues say Mr. Sachs, 55, has single-handedly done more for foreign aid than just about anybody in recent years.”
However, if this aid were delivered on a larger scale, some argue that corruption would inevitably ensue (i.e. bad leadership, ethnic politics, etc). According to critics of Sachs’s work, government corruption has ruined most attempts in providing aid, especially in Kenya.
We have recently been discussing how humanitarian aid from rich governments has come to be expected, yet how can we insure the aid we provide gets to where it needs to be, and isn’t swept away by corrupt regimes?
I agree that making sure supplies and aid get to where they are needed most is an issue. We cannot be 100% sure that corrupt regimes are not stealing from those in need to give to friends of the government. However, there are some ways that governments try to limit the ways this could happen. For example, if we try to send financial aid rather than supplies, it is relatively easy for corrupt officials to line their pockets and leave nothing for those suffering. Therefore, most countries who participate in humanitarian aid missions try to send their donations in the form of food, medical supplies, and relief workers and doctors. These things are harder for governments to steal and methods of delivery attempt to minimize the number of hands supplies go through (for example, airdropping food crates). These tricks help but they are not always successful.
ReplyDeleteThe Millennium villages are linked with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. These goals aim to eradicate 8 of the worlds largest problems causing poverty. The implementation of the goals have actually been quite successful in many countries-but where local governments intervene is always an issue. It is the UN's job to secure the development and implementation of these goals so that they can ultimately be successful. Such a structured system with enforcement by the UN as well as in most cases the government itself are more likely to be successful. If the UN continues to assist and put support behind Millennium Villages they will continue to succeed, and work against governments that are destroying or stealing resources from them. These goals are an example of the power of the United Nations in long term humanitarian efforts-as Tatiana said, they support liberalism to the fullest.
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