Dilemmas of Foreign Aid: Debating U.S. Policies

Part I covers the historical context of foreign aid policy and the domestic and international institutions involved. There are two lessons aligned with Part I: 1) Data Analysis: Tracking the Millennium Goals, and 2) Contradictions of U.S. Aid Policy During the Cold War.

Part II examines four case studies that highlight the types of foreign aid—humanitarian, military and security, economic, and development—and the dilemmas that can arise when the United States provides assistance to other countries. There is one lesson aligned with Part II: Considering the Impact of U.S. Policy.

Students compare global and regional statistics on extreme poverty levels to assess the progress made toward reaching the first Millennium Development Goal, to reduce extreme global poverty.

Using the Alliance for Progress in El Salvador as a case study, students analyze foreign aid policy during the Cold War and evaluate the impact of the Alliance for Progress.

In groups, students draw upon information from the four case studies (food insecurity in the Sahel, Plan Colombia, the Greek debt crisis, and HIV/AIDS) to create posters that illustrate different perspectives on U.S. foreign aid policy.

The Options Role Play is the key lesson in the unit, and it asks students to examine three distinct options for U.S. foreign aid policy to present in a role play set in the U.S. Senate in preparation for writing their own option.

Synthesis Lesson: Armed with the historical knowledge and a sense of their own values, students articulate their own option for U.S. foreign aid policy and apply their policy recommendations to four country profiles: Malawi, Egypt, Indonesia, and Haiti.

Synthesis Lesson: Students explore the range of U.S.-funded foreign aid projects by examining photographs of current and past programs throughout the world.