Helping

Quite some time ago -- on the order of decades ago -- I read an article on the question of foreign relations and foreign aid. The basic question was, why does the United States offer foreign aid? It boiled down, as I recall, to three reasons:

1. Bribery of one sort or another
2. Quid pro quo
3. General niceness

There was an article in the New York Times yesterday where the question was raised again. Only, in keeping with how things are these days, it was edgier. The question was, is the outpouring of United States aid to tsunami victims going to have any effect on the way that this country is perceived?

The general take was, no. One person said that of course the United States would give lots of aid; people expect that, people are used to that, but of course no reasonable person would expect that people who are opposed to us now would alter their opinions simply because we gave aid. That would be insulting to them.

Its fair that they not change their opinions. Narrowminded, but fair. They didn't ask us to give the money. "We can't be bought", and all that.

But that they expect that we will, of course, give money -- and not just money, but lots of money -- that isn't fair. They have no right to expect that, or indeed anything at all. The only people who can have that expectation of us is ourselves.

Fortunately for much of the world, and unlike much of the world, we do see ourselves as having the responsibility to help when we can. Even when we're slimed, even when our people are being killed, we do. We're not noble (though some of us certainly are), we're not perfect (though some of us come damn close), but we do. We help.

I like that.