“The principal beneficiary of America's foreign assistance programs has always been the United States.”

true, "we" are very self-centered... sick though that may be...

This quote emphasizes the establishment's quest for supporting their visions of global dominance. Definitely not to the benefit of the American citizen.

Five stars for accuracy, thumbs down for it being the truth. I agree with JT. We The People have not necessarily benefitted but rather, the beneficiaries have been a handful of politicians, businesses, and far to few needy foreigners (and the propaganda machine gets a spot on the 6 o'clock news).

Foreign aid is another word for foreign debt.

It has never been definted differently...that the nation state will act in its own self interest. This is its mandate. On a personal level humans are supposed to be able to act with compassion and empathy but that has never been applied to the interaction of governments. This is a concept derived from the earliest practices of diplomacy during the Renaissance, when it was Rome and Florence battling it out for political domination.

Well, the government is supposed to spend our money to further the interests of our country as determined by the leadership. That is what we elected them to do. If this bothers you, perhaps your understanding of the federal government's job needs some refreshing. If you want to give charitably - do so on your own with your own money, not mine.

Good job Eric. Of course the US acts in its own interest. Duh!!! Like every other country in the world, and every other person for that matter. What is different is what we find to be in our interest. WE find it in our interest to be beneficent and charitable. This builds good will and markets. Funny that those who oppose military intervention and self defense also oppose benevolence. Make up your mind will ya. Is there anything you country can do to suit you? In think not (pssst: don't look now but that makes you an America hater.) Like Colin Powell said--"The only land America has ever sought in its wars is enough to bury her dead."

WRONG! The main beneficiaries of our sending borrowed money abroad are tin horn dictators who put the money in their private Swiss accounts and still hate us.

I would add the word "primary" in place of always... For there are some good folk who have ethics and morals....

The US Agency for International Development should not even exist ... because there is no constitutional authority for its deleterious welfare existence. It is just another unlawful bureaucracy created by the U.S. federal government wasting the taxpayers money on all too often failed boondoggle projects and agenda's through government plundering.