ABSTRACT
Foreign aid is invariably a highly political enterprise. Its motives, objectives and effects are political, albeit to a greater or lesser extent and although the promotion of ‘economic development and welfare’ is the received definition of what constitutes its principal goal.1 The political nature of assistance has been conceptualized in different ways. Some view aid as a gift, others as an instrument of imperialist domination, still others as a form of purchase. Its rationale has also been analysed through the prism of various paradigms: aid can be seen as motivated by moral imperatives and altruistic feelings (humane internationalism); it can be grounded in mutual economic advantage and enlightened self-interest (liberalism); or it can be driven by foreign policy objectives – whether geopolitical, commercial or cultural – and, in particular, security interests (realism). In reality, the motives for, and objectives of, foreign aid are often mixed and vary quite extensively over time according to each donor and to each particular setting, as well as to whether the assistance provided is developmental or humanitarian.2
