What's This About? Aid to Ethiopia? More Troops to Afghanistan? U.S. and Pakistan?

November 05, 2009

Before investigating the source of the below quote, read it and guess to what it refers – it might surprise you how broadly applicable it is.

It’s a classic American dilemma: How does a superpower fix problems in a faraway country without dictating policies in a way that ultimately enfeebles the very people we are trying to help?

To understand the nature of the dilemma (for foreign aid advocates as a start) go here, and here.Consider the deeper question: Is (soft) aid a substitute or a complement to (hard) security interventions?

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CGD blog posts reflect the views of the authors, drawing on prior research and experience in their areas of expertise. CGD is a nonpartisan, independent organization and does not take institutional positions.