International Development: All but Forgotten?

Authored By: Teresa Dettloff

Pressing national security concerns, as well as the change in administration, have sparked debate around precisely what steps the government should take to address national security issues: including the rise in ISIS-related terrorist attacks, cyber-security threats and domestic terrorism.

The new administration has taken a position suggesting that the key to solving pressing national security issues is to tighten up US borders while also pulling out of NATO.

What officials have neglected to address and recognize is that hardline policies such as these have not yielded any lasting results to this nation’s national security issues. Rather, I would proffer that a more lasting solution would surface from spending our dollars more wisely, particularly in fostering international development. Supporting current USAID initiatives is an example. (For a current list of locations USAID serves, click here).

There is a reason why terrorist groups prey on individuals in developing states and in states recovering from or in the midst of armed conflict. Many young people that terrorists recruit are searching for a purpose. Without access to education or meaningful employment, joining these groups is an attractive means to earn a living and to escape extreme poverty. If we were to address the systemic issues that perpetuate these circumstances through aid organizations, our foreign policy decisions would help to eliminate the underlying causes that give terrorist groups, such as ISIS, so much power.

Furthermore, there are ways to address national security concerns without spending a dime. In fact, some scholars suggest that imposing free market principles on developing countries impedes their ability to establish a strong economy. After all, the United States government had a strong hand in controlling our own industries before free market principles took hold. (See Ha-Joon Chang’s “The Bad Samaritan: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism.”) These principles suggest that instead of trying to control economies through institutions such as the World Bank, the United States should take a back seat approach in economic policy.

Overall, development is a long-term solution to the most pressing national security issues. Unfortunately, it has been dismissed as “idealistic” and untenable. An important caveat is that development is not the only solution to terrorism, nor is it able to address all national security concerns. However, those working in international development should at least have a seat at the table.