Jeffrey Sachs writes:
When we overlook the success that is possible, we become our own worst enemies. We stand by as millions die each year because they are too poor to stay alive. The inattention and neglect of our policy leaders lull us to believe casually that nothing more can be done. Meanwhile we spend hundreds of billions of dollars per year on military interventions doomed to fail, overlooking the fact that a small fraction of that money, if it were directed at development approaches, could save millions of lives and set entire regions on a path of economic growth. It is no wonder that global attitudes toward America have reached the lowest ebb in history. It is time for a new approach.
Were I the Gates Foundation, I'd spend a few hundred million aligning national perceptions of our foreign aid spending with what we actually spend. Remember this survey?
Meanwhile, back on planet earth, Americans spend a bit over $24 billion on food stamps, about $20 billion on foreign aid, and around $700 billion on defense (including ongoing wars). And that yet overstates the foreign aid budget, whose single largest recipient is the Israeli Defense Forces. Ever wonder if we'd be so hated, and anti-American organizations would have so much traction, if our military spending wasn't more than 35 times our humanitarian spending? Meanwhile, surveys show that Americans think our total foreign aid budget should be much higher than it is. Problem is, they also think it's much higher than it is. Which is why the Gates Foundation should spend a few bucks on public education.
