The debate over whether authorities should be concerned more about their own citizen’s needs or assist to everyone worldwide has intensified in recent years, with some people believing that it is unrealistic to aid all underdeveloped countries. While allocation of funds to improving resident’s standard of living is nation’s outmost important obligation, I maintain that neglecting global responsibilities leads to long-term consequences to all nations, as every country is connected in their operation.
Admittedly, prioritizing domestic populations is both practical and logically justified. Governments are primarily accountable to taxpayers, who expect public funds to be spent on improving local living conditions. When a country diverts its main resources abroad, country’s essential sectors, such as healthcare and education are likely to suffer from negligence, resulting in even more issues in that nation. The USA is a notorious example of a country which provided Ukraine with food supply and gave financial aid while having the one of the highest crime and poverty rates. These resources could have been better spent on reducing unemployment, crime and poverty rates.
Despite the above-mentioned arguments, completely neglecting global responsibilities would be short-sighted. There is international cooperation among all countries in the world. This means all countries rely on each other in terms of production of a certain resource. Even if one of these countries suffers from a natural disaster, its result would cause a disruption in the distribution of this commodity. For example, if there was an earthquake in the UAE, a half of the world would experience a shortage of oil for a certain period of time. In such cases, limited foreign aid is not an act of charity, but a strategic investment.
In conclusion, while it is reasonable to think that government’s primary duty should lie with their own taxpayer citizens, I firmly believe that international assistance would prevent global economic chaos, thereby helping their residents to some extent as well.