The United States Agency for International Development.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent federal government agency which dates back to 1961. USAID works along with U.S. foreign policy by supporting economic growth (agriculture and trade), global health, and democracy, conflict prevention, and humanitarian assistance (www.usaid.gov). The goal of the USAID is to create political stability by providing humanitarian aid and improving economic activities in developing nations (Murray 2002). In this paper I will provide a history of the USAID, the objectives it strives for, and some of the many accomplishments the USAID has achieved through its foreign assistance programs. Foreign assistance aid and programs are an important part of the U.S. foreign policy and they lead to a shift towards globalization in the world marketplace. USAID provides support and carries out many of the foreign assistance programs that are leading towards an increase in the global world economy.
History.
All of the information in the history of the USAID was found at the official website of USAID, http://www.usaid.gov, unless cited otherwise. USAID can trace its beginning back to the Marshall Plan in 1947 (Murray, 2002). The Marshall Plan was put into place by the United States after World War II. It was to provide aid to help with the reconstruction of a war-torn Europe. The Marshall Plan was a short term foreign .
Foreign Assistance 3.
assistance program. The U.S. did not have a foreign assistance program dedicated to a long-term goal at this time.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy brought the Foreign Assistance Act before Congress. This new act would reorganize the United States foreign aid programs, military and non-military. The act was passed by Congress, but it needed an agency to administer these new economic assistance programs. On November 3, 1961, Kennedy established the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
