Dr. Ian Angell, a professor at the London School of Economics, thinks we've
become immune to pictures of starving children in third world countries. He
says, "Nobody believes that anything can be done any more for countries whose
internal conflicts set them on a course of self-destruction and whose
leaders are cushioned by Swiss bank accounts stuffed full of aid dollars."
Is this now a widely-held view? Is it accurate? If so, what are the
implications for international relief efforts going forward?
I think there is much truth in Dr. Angell's statement. The example of North
Korea test-firing ballistic missiles out into the Pacific, while an
international aid effort tries to save some of the country's children from
starvation typifies the chasm that exists between many third world leaders
and their citizens.
Perhaps we need an International Philanthropy Fund structured along the
lines of the International Monetary Fund, with the teeth to demand changes
before support is provided. Regretably, most of these tyrants would
probably just shrug off an offer of help that had such strings attached.
Doug Jamieson
