Where does generosity stop and self-interest begin?
Further, a significant portion of what the US sends to certain countries is a matter of national self interest, rather than charity. Israel is, by far, the largest recipient of US foreign aid, but in this we are supporting a strategic ally rather than rendering humanitarian assistance to an underdeveloped nation. Israel ranks among the most highly advanced nations on the planet, with the largest military in the region and a nuclear arsenal. Federal money approved by Congress for aid to Israel is a matter of advancing our own self-interest, and is not comparable to spending money on the battle against AIDS in Africa, for example. Such considerations bring the US back down the “generosity” ladder several steps. How far down will be a matter of intense debate. Bottom line, we are neither the most generous nation on earth, nor the most stingy. Rather, in the aggregate, we are about average. And that is far from the end of the story. In Measuring Generosity, Averages Don’t Compute The same
