There is nothing complicated about improving living conditions for people suffering in abject poverty. Global poverty as an American foreign policy has drastically reduced in recent years and there are countless success stories of conditions being improved for families, villages and entire countries.
The U.S. should help prevent 25,000 children from dying each day because the U.S. absolutely can help prevent 25,000 children from dying each day. But beyond the humanitarian perspective, the United States has a strategic interest in improving the plight of the world’s poor. We need to be aware of the economic, national security and diplomatic incentives for strong U.S. leadership in addressing global poverty, such as increased export dollars flowing into our country from markets in developing countries.
