On March 18, the United Nations convenes a major conference in
Monterrey, Mexico, on the need to sharply increase foreign aid.
President Bush will be heavily pressured to go along when he
addresses the conference on Friday. The plight of the developing
world cannot be exaggerated. Poverty, disease, unemployment and
a general sense of hopelessness affect most of the world's
population. It is impossible not to be moved by their condition
and want to help. However, it doesn't follow that more foreign
aid is the answer. Indeed, a strong case can be made that
foreign aid has been the problem for many developing countries,
rather than the solution. The issue is very analogous to the
debate on welfare. Reformers argued that welfare often did more
harm than good by allowing people to avoid the hard actions
needed to straighten out their lives -- such as getting off
drugs, avoiding pregnancies, getting married, finishing school
and taking jobs. Welfare enabled people to make bad choices
without paying the price. After