Re-examining International Development in Light of Manifest Destiny

I really enjoyed this week’s discussion, especially looking at international development through the framework of America’s personal manifest destiny. It is somewhat terrifying to think of the field through this perspective. The impetus behind assisting the global south would be to expand America’s ‘exceptional’ way of life since, as PTJ defined it, we are “alone ordained to lead the universe, exceptional among the exceptional.”

I tend to think that there are a lot of rationalities behind international development. There is a desire to create a formidable trading partner for the global capitalistic system, rid out idealistic or tangible opposition to America and a belief that we are helping empower others in a truly altruistic sense. The poem, “White Man’s Burden,” by Rudyard Kipling characterizes America’s earlier ‘imperialistic’ nature, which it cloaked in a seemingly selfless aspiration to help non-western parts of the world. Or perhaps Americans truly believed that what they were doing was altruistic. The framework of manifest destiny gives the field of international development a self-serving flair- helping the third world emulate America is part of America’s destiny.

USAID defines its purpose as follows: “The United States has a long history of extending a helping hand to those people overseas struggling to make a better life, recover from a disaster or striving to live in a free and democratic country. It is this caring that stands as a hallmark of the United States around the world -- and shows the world our true character as a nation. U.S. foreign assistance has always had the twofold purpose of furthering America's foreign policy interests in expanding democracy and free markets while improving the lives of the citizens of the developing world.” Is America really interested in helping others or is it merely strategic? Can we have our cake and eat it too?

I don’t mean to be bashing international development – all this is coming from someone who potentially wants to go into the field. However, I think it is important to be critical. I really do want to help others – but this is at a certain expense. The culture of the country being developed is irrevocably changed in the process.

This was seen in the clip shown in class from “The Undiscovered Country.” The Klingons, who could no longer afford to fight a Cold War with the federation, came to the Federation asking for aid. While the Federation helped them the Klingons viewed the assistance as an existential threat to their culture and way of life and quoted Hamlet – “to be or not to be.” This directly ties in with terrorism, which can be defined as a potential response to one culture’s domination over another’s.