Foreign Assistance and the U.S. National Interest

Abstract

I hope this brief description about our foreign assistance efforts may have given a better sense of the priorities which guide these programs and, perhaps, dispelled some misconceptions about their extent and character. I hope you will consider the objectives we are seeking to be worthy ones. I also hope there is a heightened awareness of the importance we attach to having this tool of foreign policy to advance our interests overseas. We believe America's foreign assistance programs enhance regional security, promote economic development, encourage the growth of democratic institutions, stimulate commercial relations with the Third World, and alleviate human suffering. They help our friends and allies help us while helping themselves. In short, we believe the benefits of our foreign assistance programs are disproportionate to their cost. We think we get a good return on each dollar. Perhaps most importantly, our foreign assistance programs give us the opportunity to be creative and helpful in shaping the kind of world we all want to see: a world in which prosperity is growing, a world in which freedom and human opportunities are expanding, and a world in which we are making our contributions to safeguarding peace.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1986
Accession Number
ADA496899

Entities

People

  • Michael H. Armacost

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Africa
  • Budgets
  • Central America
  • Department Of State
  • Economic Development
  • El Salvador
  • Federal Budgets
  • Foreign Aid
  • Foreign Policy
  • Governments
  • Investments
  • Middle East
  • Military Assistance
  • Military Equipment
  • Regional Security
  • Security
  • United States

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • International Relations and European Studies
  • Systems Analysis and Design