Obama promises to double aid to Africa

• July 17th, 2008

Obama promises to double US aid

I know development assistance is not the most popular program, but as President, I will make the case to the American people that it can be our best investment in increasing the common security of the entire world. That was true with the Marshall Plan, and that must be true today. That’s why I’ll double our foreign assistance to $50 billion by 2012, and use it to support a stable future in failing states, and sustainable growth in Africa; to halve global poverty and to roll back disease. To send once more a message to those yearning faces beyond our shores that says, “You matter to us. Your future is our future. And our moment is now.”

This is very welcome, though personally I’d settle for keeping the number the same but using it better.

Contrary to what some people expect, statistical analysis shows that Republicans tend to be more generous with aid to Africa than Democratic administration. Maybe Obama would buck that trend.