Foreign Aid

Dilemmas of Foreign Aid: Debating U.S. Policies

Fourth edition. March 2010.

Overview

What is foreign aid for? Is it to help the world's poor or is it a way to meet U.S. foreign policy priorities? How much should the United States devote to foreign aid? The readings, case studies, simulations, and primary sources in Dilemmas of Foreign Aid: Debating U.S. Policies allow students to examine U.S. aid policy while inviting them to explore the dilemmas faced by policy makers everyday.

Readings

The background readings have been written to prepare students to thoughtfully consider the policy choices facing our country. Part I summarizes the critical issues of U.S. aid policy. Part II examines four case studies that highlight some of the dilemmas and controversies of providing aid.

The Choices Role Play

Working cooperatively to develop and present different U.S. policy options to U.S. senators, students clarify and evaluate alternative policy recommendations. An additional group serves as representatives of aid recipients.

Lessons

U.S. Aid Policy Today
Students analyze and interpret four graphs to assess the status of U.S. aid policy. Each graph is followed by spiraled questions that help students to read the graph and challenge them to think critically about the information presented.

Contradictions of U.S. Aid Policy During the Cold War
Using the Alliance for Progress in El Salvador as a case study, students analyze aid policy during the Cold War and evaluate the impact of the Alliance for Progress.

Dilemmas in Providing Aid
Using four case studies (Darfur, Plan Colombia, the Asian Economic Crisis, and Confronting HIV/AIDS), students investigate the ramifications and dilemmas of U.S. aid and assess challenges facing the world.

Role-Playing the Three Options
Working cooperatively to develop and present different U.S. policy options to U.S. senators, students are able to clarify and evaluate alternative policy recommendations.

Joining the Debate on U.S. Policy
Armed with historical knowledge and a sense of their own values, students deliberate about the options presented. They articulate coherent recommendations for U.S. policy and defend their views in a letter to a newspaper or a member of Congress. Finally, they apply their policy recommendations to three countries.