The Foreign Service Journal, September 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2016 13 Second, there are about 50 countries in Africa, with a wide range of differ- ing characteristics, and it is not wise to lump them all together. Some, in fact, have moved ahead nicely—Botswana, Mauritius, Ghana, Senegal and Cape Verde come to mind. Others are disap- pointments. Next, the success or failure of aid should be judged not only on a country basis, but also in terms of benefits cre- ated for large groups of the population even if the country as a whole has not advanced much. A classic example is the virtual eradi- cation of onchocerciasis (river blind- ness) in much of West and East Africa, achieved by governments with the help of foreign aid. Millions of people no lon- ger go blind, and large swathes of land that were not utilized are now farmed and grazed. Other achievements assisted by aid include the creation of potable water systems, the inoculation of millions of children against diseases, increases in literacy, the building of farm-to-market roads and supplying electricity to iso- lated villages. Consider also the numerous victims of conflicts helped with humanitarian aid. Finally, U.S. bilateral aid is partly a tool of diplomacy, supporting our foreign policies. The reason that many aid programs and projects have failed is because the policies they support have failed. Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, the DRC and South Sudan are examples. Blame the policies, not the aid. n Raymond Malley USAID Senior FSO, retired Hanover, New Hampshire and McLean, Virginia