Real Aid

Departing from my usual skeptical tendencies, I do not doubt the genuineness of intentions held by the "Live 8" performers. Nonetheless, throwing money at the enormous problems that plague the African continent will ultimately cause much more harm than good. While emergency aid dollars do tend to alleviate some short-term hardships (such as in the case of tsunami relief), "free" money is generally destructive as it distorts long-term markets and perpetuates attitudes of dependence. From the donor's standpoint, giving money to the undeveloped, impoverished third world is like going to church on Christmas eve. You put in an appearance, it makes you feel good, and you never really have to get your hands dirty or miss a football game. Effective aid, rather, focuses on the promotion of self-help, empowerment, and long-term sustainability. If the the United States and Europe were truly interested in providing such aid to Africa, they would abandon their respective protectionist-economic policies that subsidize local agriculture and textiles to the detriment of impoverished Africans and pursue free trade with the continent. Opening the corridors of trade between the cheap labor of Africa and the deep pockets of western consumers will tremendously benefit both, only at the expense of the corporate welfare parasites that taint the concept of capitalism and continually line their pockets with the price-controlled dollars that guaranty that a Namibian farmer will never sell his sugarcane in the United States. Sounds like a win-win to me.

UPDATE: Here is an interview that seems to echo the above post. Hat tip to Hit and Run. I am having a Flex Capacitor - clairvoyant moment.