In the wake of the election, it is clear that we must be conscious not only of America’s choices for itself, but of its effects on the rest of the world. In a recent report from the World Bank, over 700 million people worldwide were estimated to be living in extreme poverty, almost nine percent of the total global population. They define extreme poverty as anyone living on less than $2.15 USD a day. It also notes that 44 percent of the global population, about 3.5 million people, live on less than $6.85 USD a day, the poverty line for upper-middle-income countries.
You might think that this is upsetting, but not an “American problem” as poverty certainly exists in our own country. While it is true that poverty is an issue here, it is actually in our best interest to combat global poverty, not solely for altruistic purposes. Working to eradicate global poverty will benefit our own economy, and in turn the American people. As former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel noted when talking about U.S. humanitarian assistance to foreign countries, “we need to stop viewing it as aid. It’s an investment.” The Borgen Project, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that advocates for global poverty to be a priority of U.S. foreign aid legislation, explains the benefits U.S. foreign aid provides to American citizens. It notes that the top ten newest consumers of American exports are from the world’s fastest growing economies (measured by GDP growth percentage), including Libya, Rwanda and Bangladesh. It is clear that developing countries quickly become major consumers of U.S. goods. This creates a greater demand for American products and an increase in production, opening up many factory jobs and other roles for Americans who need work.
The Borgen Project also highlights the link between global poverty and U.S. national security. The world’s poorest countries also happen to be its most dangerous. The top ten poorest countries list includes Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, all countries entangled in wars funded by U.S. arms. Many former and current U.S. soldiers have spoken about the importance of sending aid to these countries and advocate for global poverty efforts in relation to national security. Former chief of staff of the United States Army and Commanding General in Iraq from 2004 to 2007, General George W. Casey Jr., explained how he learned U.S. military forces alone would not solve the problem. He noted “our soldiers need strong civilian partners to sustain the military’s hard-earned gains. These civilian partners need resources to be effective, just like the military” (Devex). According to a U.S. Global Leadership study shared by The Borgen Project, “84 percent of military officers said that strengthening non-military tools such as diplomacy and development efforts, should be at least equal to strengthening military efforts”.
While the ramifications of the presidential election are still uncertain, we as individuals still have the power to advocate for our beliefs. It is clear that there are many reasons to support efforts to eliminate global poverty. The Borgen Project provides easy-to-use resources for contacting your congressional leaders. On the “Act Now” tab on its website, there are links to prewritten scripts that you can use to call or email your leaders. It is direct, efficient and only takes a few seconds. It only takes a few constituents to sway the vote of their representatives. If enough people contact our leaders in support of the International Affairs Budget, then we can ensure more U.S. aid can be sent to those in need globally, helping nations and our own people.