As a child, I was taught over and over that the United States was the greatest country on the face of the earth. It was a shining city on the hill, a beacon of freedom and prosperity. However, as time goes on, I have begun to wonder why the ‘greatest nation’ refuses to significantly help impoverished people around the world and is content to simply look inward and build up defensive arsenals.

This problem has been readily apparent in our pandemic response. Our governments have exclusively looked inward and ignored the cries of help resonating around the world. Poorer nations in Africa have 23% of global cases of COVID-19 but account for only 1% of global health expenditure. This foolhardy approach not only hurts the impoverished but it also hurts American citizens. Without a change in the foreign policy, American lockdown efforts will be entirely wasted. The disease will simply re-emerge after it thrives and develops further in poor nations in Latin America and Africa.

This short-sighted inward philosophy also weakens our economy. We are currently experiencing the biggest economic slowdown since the Great Recession and this catastrophe has been mirrored in nearly every country on the face of the earth. Foreign aid investment in these countries has been proven to put money back in the pockets of Americans while also putting them back to work quicker and in better-paying jobs.

I realize that it is tempting to focus exclusively on the plight of fellow Americans, but this is a dangerous and foolish temptation. I urge all citizens who want a return to normalcy to tell their leaders to support increased international emergency funding for the global pandemic.

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