Why can't the rich nations help the poor nations...?

Question

of the world? Do they help? Do they help enough?

Answer 1

Because the human race is supposed to be greedy and selfish.

Answer 2

I think, by and large, the rich nations DO help the poor nations.

The United States, for example, has an entire agency dedicated to helping under-developed nations improve their lot. The USAID (United States Agency for International Development) budgeted 11.4 BILLION dollars for international aid this year.

Some nations could always do more, but some nations could also do more to help themselves instead of relying on other countries to lift them up.

Answer 3

The United States has helped less fortunate peoples more often than any other country in the history of the world. And what do get for it? We get condemnation, and much of it from own citizens. Unbelieveable ...!

Answer 4

They try to help, but it often goes awry.  Foreign aid often goes directly to the government, and third world governments are often corrupt.  The IMF's lending policies are not always in the borrowing country's best interest.  The developed countries often force developing countries to lower their tariffs, yet keep their tariffs on goods that developing countries produce high.  For example, the average tariff faced by Nepali imports in the US is around 30% (compared with 2-3% for EU goods.)  Also, farm subsidies by developed countries hurt farmers in developing countries, who may not have any other career options.  The harm done by farm subsidies more than cancels out the good done by foreign aid (IIRC, it's something like $3 harm for every $1 in foreign aid.)

Answer 5

if the rich nations help too much it can creat unhealthy dependency for foreign aids

Answer 6

Unfortunately, it doesn't work. Pretty much the only way that rich nations can help poor nations (other than in actual emergencies) is by advancing technology.

The particular ways this doesn't work vary from place to place. One way this can backfire is that the help is stolen by corrupt officials and used to keep murderous dictators in power. It's hard to aid a country without aiding its government, which works well if the government is wise and stable and not so well if it's not.

Another example is when you give out free food, and as a result the farmers go out of business and stop growing food. This isn't an isolated or unusual situation. Fixing a problem one way takes the pressure off other mechanisms that could have worked on that same problem. Foreign aid, almost by definition, damages self-sufficiency.

Note that aid to help a country deal with an unexpected emergency, especially one that is completely unforeseeable, can and does usually help.

Answer 7

Because the allocation of help is not used in the proper way.  Take Myanmar for example, The U.S. was trying to donate aid and food and necessities but the political regime was using it improperly and not giving it to the people who truly need it, but hording it for themselves or to sell to fund their personal agenda.