But if developing countries are to be helped, it is not just an increase in aid budgets which is required, but also a change in the way the funds are allocated.

Currently US aid lends a hand to its own goals, such as the war on terror. As a result large amounts of aid are in fact military aid aimed at battling lawlessness abroad. However, if the US is to succeed in its war on terror it must tackle the social and political roots of poverty. This means tackling fundamental developing world problems such as poverty, lack of education, and lack of healthcare. US policy makers must accept that development is the key long term investment against terrorism.