Prompt:
There are two words that politicians take care to avoid: foreign aid. Instead, decision makers often sidestep the issue. Many believe that it is the United States’ obligation as the wealthiest nation in the world to help those who are poorer. Others feel that charity begins at home and question whether the people of those countries that receive aid actually benefit directly. Furthermore, they question whether there are any benefits for the United States. In your view, is foreign aid helpful? To whom? Carefully explain the rationale for your position.

Response:
The continued donation of foreign aid to other countries is necessary for the success of the united states and should be continued and supported.  The aid that the us gives helps to improve the lives of others abroad, improves the impression that other countries have of the US, and helps to spread American values.  Additionally, foreign aid is a valuable tool in the diplomatic toolbox that allows the government to apply soft pressure to uncooperative countries.
The United States has a long history of being a world leader in humanitarian causes.  In accordance with our democratic principles and desire for peaceful harmony in the world, foreign aid has been at the center of these efforts.  President Kennedy’s Peace Corps, for example has done immeasurable good for the world, improving the lives of many impoverished people.  Likewise, our contributions to the UN, which the US was instrumental in founding, support many programs that benefit impoverished children and fight disease in the developing world.  Cutting off foreign aid would be tantamount to abandoning these principles and turning our backs on the history of American generosity.
In addition to the philosophical concerns, there are many practical benefits to continuing to supply aid to other countries.  Generosity on the part of the American government, for example, improves the opinion that foreign nations have of the US.  Our contributions in the Middle East, to take one instance, have contributed tangibly to our status as a trusted partner in negotiations between Israel and Palestine.  In addition, aid helps to spread the American values of generosity and harmony in the world.  By extending aid to many of the Aids stricken countries in Africa, for example, American attitudes towards safer sexual practice have spread, thus reducing the spread of the disease and creating real benefit.  Finally, foreign aid functions as a useful tool to pressure dangerous governments into acting in a manner which benefits the entire world.  The “Oil for Food” program in Iraq helped to improve the lives of ordinary Iraqi’s, and also prevented Saddam Hussein from selling his oil to fund his military.  Food aid to North Korea, too, has been instrumental in containing the nation’s nuclear ambitions.  Both of these contributions by the US to antagonistic nations have doubtlessly contributed to the security of the world.
The concerns that the United States should take care of Americans first, and not provide American money to foreign governments is understandable, but ultimately flawed.  Considered solely from practical grounds and leaving ethics aside, delivering foreign aid improves the lives of Americans at home.  War is an expensive endeavor.  Having a carrot of foreign aid to offer countries such as Iran and North Korea instead of the stick of combat helps to prevent war and lowers the financial burden on American.  A good reputation among our allies, created in part through offering aid, helps to ensure that when we must go to war, we do not go alone; the costs of war are therefore shared, and the length of the conflict is shortened, thereby saving money.  Contributions of aid that prevent conflict, therefore, are often paid back with dividends.