ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses some of the structural elements involved with the counterpart relationship and to indicate that some of these elements can work to the distinct disadvantage of the recipient of whatever assistance or expertise. Foreign assistance, of which the counterpart relationship is inevitably a part, is a tricky business in the best of circumstances. There are certain structural and historical elements of the process which must be considered, as they have inevitable consequences for the counterpart relationship as a microcosm of a broader social and political reality. In a sense, neocolonialism and dependency are opposite sides of the same coin, as both assure the continued domination of the industrialized nations over the Third World. The chapter argues that the counterpart relationship and foreign assistance generally is part of an international system of dependency and inequality and that those providing "aid" are, in many instances, seeking to perpetuate their influence over the Third World.