Essay

 Mutual Benefits of Assisting Foreign Nations

           Living in a globally connected world, we often overlook our responsibilities and only reap the benefits. With everything around us changing and evolving at such a rapid pace, it is easy to forget that there are other places that do not have the luxury of enjoying the ever-changing world. There are foreign nations that currently require the assistance of prosperous nations. Countries torn apart by war, poverty, and famine are not exclusive to the history books you read in school. These are real problems that people are forced to face every day – people who were not so lucky to have been born in a first world country. I argue that we, as a community, not only have a moral obligation to assist fellow human beings, but also a duty as citizens to better our own nation. Improving a foreign nation will not only progress the standard of living in that country, but also our own domestic nation and the world as a whole.

            June 10, 2014 – The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) conquers Mosul. Only a day later, ISIS assumes control of Tikrit. Fast forward ten days to June 21, 2014, and they have gained authority over Al-Qaim. In October 9, 2014, the United Nations (UN) reveals that over 24,000 people have either been killed or injured as a result of the actions conducted by the Islamic State. Hundreds of thousands of people are forced to relocate in an attempt to flee the reign of ISIS. Aside from reporting numbers and statistics, the UN has ultimately done nothing to end the tyranny and injustice in the Middle East so far.

            People within a community have always helped one another out. This has been a fact since the dawn of humanity. It is how we evolved as a species. That much is obvious. But what does it mean to be a part of a community? More importantly, what is a community? Does it have borders? If so, then how far do these borders extend? Do they extend no further than the school you attend? Maybe the state you live in? I suppose the most popular answer would be that people should be most involved with the community of their nation. I reject that notion.

            The exponential growth in technology has helped the world achieve something that would have been considered near impossible only a century ago – globalization. For better or worse, the people of this world are more connected with one another more than ever. A quick glance at the news application on your phone can give you a general idea of the current events happening around the world. Every two years, you can tune into just about any sports channel on your television to watch the Olympics, a worldwide phenomenon in which countries face each other in various sports and competitions. If the economy of a first world country were to fail and fall into a recession, you can bet that it would cause a chain reaction in which every other country’s economies begin to underperform as well. Of course, this is no surprise. You don’t have to study economics to know that one nation’s economy can affect another’s. This is obvious because we know that technology has linked the world together. We have been connected in ways that would baffle even the most intelligent people in the past. And the simple truth is that there is no going back.

            It is fair to believe that communities were once bound to nations in the past. With no form of instant communication and the lack of general knowledge about the events outside of the nations’ borders, you cannot blame the people of the nineteenth century for strictly concerning themselves with domestic problems. However, times have changed. Everything around us is rapidly evolving, and communities are no exceptions. It all began very simply. With technology aiding communication, our community borders began to expand. But it didn’t stop there. Not only did the borders begin to expand, but they actually started to vanish. We are no longer communities impeding on one another’s territories. No, we are just one massive community involved in ways we have never been before.

            So I ask: how is it that the United States of America, a country that prides itself of equal opportunity, can sit back and watch the injustice unfold right in front of its eyes? How is it that an entire nation of people can simply turn a blind eye to the violence, hunger, and poverty that is plaguing the nations right in front of us? In fact, how is it that every other first world country, superpower or not, chooses to ignore the world’s problems? The answer is simple: the borders of nations have given us a false belief that international problems should pose no threat as long as they do not impede our nation’s borders.

            The biggest problem the American people have with helping other foreign nations is that it is costly. Of course, taxes will have to be increased and other programs may have to have a reduction in budget. That much is true, and there is no point in trying to claim otherwise. However, what the American people fail to understand is that it can bring benefits domestically. The main reason assisting other countries is such a controversial topic is because it is believed to have great costs with zero benefits. Such a belief is only true if you are not capable of looking further into the time horizon. Of course, there will be costs associated with helping out entire countries. At first glance, we get absolutely nothing out of it. But if you look beyond that first glance, you will see the endless benefits that come with assisting foreign nations. Helping out a country suffering from economic hardships can one day become a strong trading partner. A war-torn country that is provided assistance from other nations could prevent future outbreaks of violence and suppress corruption in their governments. The more countries that become more economically stable, the more the global economy has the potential to expand. Many argue that supporting foreign nations is an unpatriotic thing to do, when it is actually exactly the opposite. Supporting other nations can ultimately improve domestic problems.

            Though it may be hard to believe that spending one’s own resources to help out a country could yield economic benefits, the fact will always remain the truth. Imagine if the United States were to invest time and money into helping out an economically unstable nation. Sure, there are initial costs, but what about the future benefits? First, the country in need of help becomes a participant in the global economy. Historically, it has been shown that newly stable economies tend to grow at an extremely fast rate. Once this nation becomes an economically strong nation, its citizens have the ability to buy more goods and services. This would increase the demand for goods in the United States, leading to higher gross domestic product, and a higher standard of living. The main focus is that citizens would temporarily give up a little bit of present income in order to significantly improve their future income. Furthermore, improving one country’s economy can help to improve the global economy as a whole. When there is an extra participant in the economy, the amount of goods and services demanded and supplied increases, and helps to increase trade among the countries, ultimately leading to expansionary periods of economic growth.

            Desperation is born from torn countries. Its citizens would do anything, and support anyone in order to create a better life for themselves. This is when dictators rise and gain power. Desperation gives birth to tyrants. This is shown time and time again throughout history. The Great Depression that devastated the entire world gave power to Adolf Hitler. Similarly, many third world countries give power to politicians that promise to improve their living conditions. However, these politicians usually end up becoming corrupt and act in their own self-interest, rather than the interest of the people. This causes a reaction in which citizens act out in protest and the government responds by detaining and injuring the protestors. The civil unrest will give rise to extreme violence, and the world’s eyes will be fixated on the violent protests and completely ignore the problems that initially triggered everything. Without help, this cycle will only continue. The fall of one dictator will give another dictator the opportunity to assume power. It is only with the assistance from superpower countries that will truly remedy the problems occurring in a torn up country.

            If the nations around the world choose to ignore these countries in need, it will only lead to domestic problems in the future. Countries that are dictated by corrupt politicians will only pose threats to other countries in the long run. If we look at North Korea, a country left alone to a dictatorship for generations, we see that their government taunts other countries with nuclear tests and even threats. In more recent history, we see that terrorist groups such as ISIS directly threaten the welfare of domestic citizens, making claims such as burning down the countries’ foundations. In both situations, everything could have been ultimately prevented if the poor conditions in the countries were to have been eradicated to begin with. Citizens in poor countries would have had the sense to vote for the leader that best supports their interest, and they would have never had to resort to war or civil protest. Ignoring such potential threats will only result in a continuous cycle in which dictators rise and fall.

            Another current example that explains this idea well is the case of Ebola. Beginning in the poorer countries of West Africa, Ebola was able to spread like wildfire because of the lack of proper healthcare in those rural countries. Ignored for so long, Ebola managed to sneak its way into other countries such as Spain and the United States. Sure, the disease has been well-contained in first world countries so far, but it has without a doubt caused domestic panic. Helping out the African countries plagued by Ebola will help ensure the safety of domestic citizens.

            I have already shown that helping out foreign nations is a logical thing to do if one wishes to improve domestic conditions. But I argue that is not the only important thing in this discussion. People should not have to be logically persuaded in order to help out a fellow human being. I say that it is immoral to ignore someone else’s problems in order to maintain your own comfortable standard of living.

            A highly debated topic in the United States is the distribution of income. Many people argue that such a small percentage of people should not hold such an immense amount of wealth. They argue that wealth should be distributed more fairly and help out the people in need. These people have no trouble debating this in favor of domestic wealth distribution. However, how do they feel about the idea of relatively equal income distribution across the globe? If we face the facts, the average American’s standard of living is significantly higher than someone living in a third world country. There are people without roofs over their heads who cannot even afford to eat a single meal in a given day. Compared to those harsh conditions, one can see that the typical American actually has it easy. I find it extremely hypocritical that an American citizen would have the audacity to demand more wealth while ignoring the needs of someone else overseas. The path to becoming a truly patriotic citizen does not start with thinking only of yourself. It begins when you take into consideration the people in your community. Not only the people within your nation’s borders, but everyone within the global community.

            Extending our assistance to foreign nations is both the logical and the ethical thing to do. When a nation falls into poverty and government corruption, the consequences are on our hands. The tyrants it gives birth to is our failure. When our world became more connected, we as human beings gained more responsibilities. You may not like it, but it has happened, and it is something we have to live with for the benefit of everyone. The fall of one nation can easily lead to the fall of another. The simplest catalyst can ignite a massive chain reaction. It is our job to make sure that reaction works in our favor. And the only way we can achieve that is to create a world in which we prioritize not only the welfare of domestic citizens, but also the welfare of foreign citizens.