United States: Doing the Best We Can

The United States is often criticized for spending huge amounts of money on the War in Iraq. Many people state that we need to be spending this money on our own country, helping our own citizens who are indeed struggling and starving right here on our own soil. Yet, it seems to me these are also the same people criticizing the United States for not spending enough money in places such as Uganda and Darfur. Yes, it is true the people of these countries are starving and living in poverty levels that most people in the United States cannot even imagine, but what are some of the reasons for this? I think that what most Americans do not understand is the incredible amount of corruption within the governments of these countries. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell called the current situation in Darfur “genocide.” These corrupt governments are in fact responsible for their starving citizens. When aid is sent to these poverty stricken countries it doesn’t get to the people who need it. The aid is stolen by these corrupt leaders of these countries.
The more I focus on this issue at hand, the more I find myself asking; why these countries? Why are people fighting so hard for aid in Darfur and Uganda? There are poverty stricken countries all over the world. There is poverty and corruption in South American countries, Asian countries, and even Russia. Should we be giving aid to these countries as well? The United States is a country that spends billions of dollars giving aid all over the world. What is our limit? Our limit is whether or not spending billions of dollars “liberating” a country is in the best interest for the future of the United States. Obviously there are benefits for our country by “liberating” Iraq. There is the issue of oil, but more importantly there is the issue of terrorism that threats the United States. We are not at war in Africa because it would not benefit our country. The United States government must protect its citizens and must do what is best for the country first and foremost.