USA Vs. The Others?

[Kevin]

Originally posted by ADSigMel
Quid pro quo means, "if we help you in your time of need, you should help us in our time of need" or "if we vote the way you do on some issues that are important to you, you should vote the way we do on some issues that are important to us." It does NOT mean "if we give you money to feed your starving children, you should vote the same way we do on matters of foreign policy." That's not quid pro quo. It's bribery - money in exchange for votes.

Your argument presumes that these countries are using the cash we give them for humanitarian supplies. International aid money is bribery. It has very little to do with humanitarian needs. If we were interested in those, we'd stop paying farmers not to grow crops, and instead ship food to these countries.

Furthermore, quid pro quo is simply another way of saying comity, which is not a formal requirement for doing business in this world the last time I checked. It's always nice to return a favor, but it's certainly not technically wrong not to.

It's also not wrong that we expect it, or that countries receiving millions of our dollars do something in return for us. Or do you just feel guilty that you live in a great country? Does international aid make you feel better about yourself?