Should countries provide aid to their ex-colonies?

Recently, we got an assignment in English class. We had to write an argumentative essay about whether or not western countries should provide aid to their ex-colonies. I got into a debate with a classmate about this topic, and I thought it would be interesting to fully write out. It is an interesting and nuanced issue, that is highly relevant in our current society. And yes, I think that we should aid our ex-colonies.

First of all, providing aid to these countries is the morally and ethically right thing to do. While we are not directly responsible for colonialism, because we didn’t participate in the societies that actively colonised countries, our society still benefits from past colonialism. [SUPPORT]. Just as we still profit from past colonialism, ex-colonies too still suffer the effects of years of suppresion and exploitation. How can we possibly wash our hands in innocence if we still actively profit from the riches attained via the colonial system in our daily lives?

Furthermore, providing aid will help develop these countries further. In the long run, spreading our wealth will make the world a better place. [SUPPORT]. Not only do we get a chance to right our wrongs, but we can also assist these countries to become stronger and more independent.

However, in some cases, money is not the kind of aid these countries need. I think we should also provide aid in different ways. We could, for example, establish quality education for everyone, and provide materials and people. [SUPPORT]. Therefore providing aid in different forms will help our ex-colonies to setup their own economies and develop their own societies, to ultimately be more independent from our development aid.

While we should definitely provide aid for these countries, some people are against it. Admittedly, these countries may be corrupt. According to the Corruption Perception Index (Transparency International, 2023) — a ranking of countries by their perceived corruption — ex-colonies are among some of the most corrupt countries in the world. However, as noted before, financial support is not always the aid these countries need. Therefore, we should consider alternatives before providing financial support, to make sure the people of our ex-colonies will actually benefit from the aid.

Moreover, we should also consider that providing financial aid to other countries will give our government a position of power within that country, which could easily be abused. [SUPPORT]. How can we claim to stay neutral when we have conflicting incentives in these countries? How will we make sure that our government will not use this position to exercise control over its ex-colonies? For example, according to The Guardian (2015), most of France’s development aid goes to its former colonies, where it’s mostly used to exercise economic power over the countries, as stated by Pigeaud and Sylla (2021) in their new book titled Africa’s Last Colonial Currency: The CFA Franc Story. Consequently, we should be cautious to stay neutral, by for example letting our government be audited by third parties.

In conclusion, we should most definitely provide aid to our ex-colonies. It is the right thing to do, because we still actively benefit from past colonialism. The least we can do is provide aid. Furthermore, we also help these countries develop and grow more independent. However, we should also make sure our government will not obtain a position of power through financial support which it could potentially abuse. In addition, we should consider other ways to support our ex-colonies, by for example providing people, knowledge, or materials.