While it is true that assisting every person in the world is not feasible, governments often prioritize helping their own citizens. Although I understand that addressing local needs should be the main priority of any government, I believe that governments should also feel responsible for supporting people beyond their borders.
The notion of focusing on problems outside the country seems illogical to me as long as there are domestic issues within the country. Since local problems can create difficulties not only for citizens but also for the country itself, all resources should be allocated to tackling these urgent issues. For example, the Aral Sea is a major problem that threatens millions of people living around it in Uzbekistan. Therefore, financial resources in the country are always channeled toward mitigating the problems caused by harmful salt exposed to the wind from the seafloor. This problem often prevents Uzbekistan from contributing to transnational issues.
Despite their local problems, all countries should participate in cross-border collaborations to deal with global crises. Natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes put millions of lives in danger, and in such situations, other countries should provide financial, medical, and humanitarian aid. Similarly, wars can cost millions of innocent lives. For example, more than 400,000 people lost their house because of the war happening in Palestine. All Muslim-majority countries in Asia are sending not only money but also clothes and medical supplies to save those people. Allocating resources to help these people should be at the forefront of a government’s agenda despite minor local problems.
In conclusion, although I support the idea of focusing on local issues first, I argue that governments should also play their role in helping the international community.