Dear Editor,
Freezing foreign aid and threatening other countries is shortsighted for many reasons.
History has shown that it’s less expensive to stop wars, stop atrocities, and grow potential trading partners through pre-emptive actions and goodwill than to deal with the messes afterwards. Aid not arms should be the call to support the people of Gaza, and other hot spots around the world. While severely underfunded relative to our Department of Defense, our State Department has proven this time and again. Imagine what it could do with a realistic budget.
There’s been so much talk about the issues at our southern border, and whether you agree with the current administration or not, to me it makes much more sense to stop the bleeding at its source rather than throw money and might against people fleeing violence and suffering. Here again, foreign aid and support is not only more humane, it is far more cost effective. The latter, at least, should be worth considering in this time of exploding debt and high prices.
The use of foreign aid also reflects the kinder side of our nation – the side other countries espouse to be like. In our modern world, acting the bully, throwing up walls, and threatening economic retaliation only sets the stage for those countries to look elsewhere for their inspiration, trading partners and allies. In recent years our lack of interest in investing in Panama, for example, is why a Hong Kong-based company now operates ports on either end of the canal. Chile has said the threat of tariffs will turn their trade interests to China and other countries as well. The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) are happy to step up while we bully our way into isolation.
Arizona’s Rep. Ciscomani serves on the Appropriations Committee which gives him extra leverage to push through and unfreeze foreign aid. While we’re not in his district, representatives in our state do communicate and work together. That said I call on our Rep. Gosar to encourage his compatriot to consider the high value for the dollar spent when we invest in foreign aid and treat other countries with respect. In business and in government, the value of goodwill can be priceless.
Leslie Morpeth
