War is catastrophic. It leads to the complete halt of all economic activities and disorients the growth and development of the people and the country as a whole. During a period of war, there is a lot of death because of malnutrition, sicknesses and diseases, torture, harassment and executions. These events greatly affect individuals and the local system of operations. Healthcare systems, economic infrastructures, political leadership and other aspects of the society are demolished. It is during these times that foreign aid is greatly relied upon. Both actions of war and peace have a great effect on the leadership of the country and the dependence on foreign aid.
Foreign aid is defined as the transfer of resources on concessional terms that is undertaken by official agencies. Foreign aid typically has the promotion of economic development, welfare or peace of a country as the main objectives (Nielsen, Findley, Davis, Candland, & Nielson, 2011). Foreign aid has direct negative effects on the risk of civil conflict. During war parties that causing conflict are unable to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of their people during such times. They are unable to provide resources for survival and thus rely on foreign aid. In developing countries that have undergone a period of war, for instance, in Rwanda, foreign aid is highly appreciated by the citizens and leaders within the country (Donaubauer & Nunnenkamp, 2016). In Rwanda, the government and the rebellion relied on foreign aid from the UN to secure and broker peace deals between the two of them. The UN intended to assist in the development of the accord between the Rwandan government and the Rwandan Patriotic Front. The aid was very critical in ensuring its activities remained neutral to the agreement set by the two parties (Barnett, 2014). The UN was required to ensure it coordinated all activities as pertained to the agreement, assisted in the coordination of humanitarian activities within the country, and ensured the security of displaced personnel. Failure in these operations would have led to the development of a civil war. In Rwanda, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) was unable to meet its mandate to maintain the peace accords resulting in mass genocide (Barnett, 2014).
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Foreign aid is a key factor in the prevention of war. In Rwanda, had it not been for the presence of UNAMIR prior to the war, the conflict would have arisen at an earlier stage and there would have been many more deaths reported during this period (Barnett, 2014). Most of the people who fled for their lives would not have survived as UNAMIR catered to the security of many fleeing Hutu’s and Tutsi’s. Similarly, the mortality rate in Rwanda would have been much higher than it was due to disease, and hunger caused by lack of foodstuffs during that period (Barnett, 2014).
During times of peace, redevelopment of the nation and the economic infrastructure is of key importance. The government initially depends on foreign aid to assist in the development of the nation and economic infrastructure. However, bilateral aid is not appreciated as it is considered to harbour other political motives (Donaubauer & Nunnenkamp, 2016). Multilateral aid is considered more effective in the assistance of a developing nation with neutral political motives. In developing countries, for instance, there is a reliance on foreign aid to assist where the government is unable to provide or sustain the entire population. In Rwanda, foreign aid has had a modest effect on economic growth (Sekanabo, 2016). With continuous development and control of fiscal and monetary policies within the country that are suitable, the presence of foreign aid relates positively to growth within the country.
In conclusion, foreign aid holds both positive and negative effects during the war and during peace. There is a high risk of foreign aid tipping the balance of civil conflict and resulting in a civil war; however, this is risk has to be factored in where a government considers preventing mass genocide. Foreign aid affects the economic growth of a nation during peace. However, a negative impact of continuous foreign aid during times of peace is the lack of responsibility and leadership by government officials in properly implementing systems that will address all the problems within the nation. As Rwanda continues to absorb and increase its need for foreign aid, dependency by the people and the government is developed (Wicks, 2014). Foreign aid results in the development of dependency which deters the motivation for individual growth. Consequently, the economy suffers as more individuals, or regions lose their capacity to work and raise their economy, but fully continue to depend on foreign aid.
References
Barnett, M. (2014). International Decision Making in the Age of Genocide: Rwanda 1990-1994. The United Nations Security Council and Rwanda , 1–14.
Donaubauer, J., & Nunnenkamp, P. (2016). Is aid for infrastructure effective? A difference-in-difference-in-differences approach. Kiel Working Institute for the World Economy , 1-21.
Nielsen, R. A., Findley, M. G., Davis, Z. S., Candland, T., & Nielson, D. L. (2011). Foreign aid shocks as a cause of violent armed conflict. American Journal of Political Science , 55 (2), 219–232.
Sekanabo, D. (2016). Evaluating the Effect of Foreign Aid on Economic Growth of Rwanda.
Wicks, L. (2014). Rwanda’s Miracle: From Genocide and Poverty to Peace and Economic Prosperity. FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations , 1–79.
