I thought this thread was about foreign aid, but if you are talking about cold cash then it is now out of order. The UK, the USA, and some countries in Europe have been giving monetry aid to certain countries for decades, and these countries are no further forward now than they were when we started. You can also bet your life that they will be back again next year with the begging bowl, for the western suckers to fill it up. I am not against aid, i am for it, but if we went out and developed their countries and built their factories, working out a plan for them to stand on their own feet, well that is diferent. These countries wont allow that though and why, because it makes them look silly in the eyes of the world, but begging for a few billion here and there dooes not count. Charity does begin at home, and if your own country is in shit state like the UK is at the moment, what are we doing giving away £3.5 billion to aid countries through the CO2 capping? the mind bogles to find the reason for putting our own country in debt to help countries that do not want to help themselves. We have 4 million on unemployment benafit with only a million job vacancies, that even students straight out of collage are being turned down for, because they have not been trained. These countries that beg for aid should be told, show us what you have done with the last few billion, other than line your own pockets, and we might lend you some more, let's get out of this stupid act of giving, and getting nothing in return except the finger when you ask them to help in time of troubles.