The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good

“The tragedy of the poor inspires dreams of change.” 

In reference to World Bank’s slogan (“Our Dream Is a World Free of Poverty”) and an aid industry centered around solving the poverty and misfortunes of the developing world, Easterly refers to the idealism of the Planners. This group usually consists of Western nations and those with the backing of rich and powerful governments. They may come from good intentions, as this quote shows, but their tactics in solving problems have failed. 

“The new military interventions are similar to the military interventions of the cold war, while the neo-imperialist fantasies are similar to old-time colonial fantasies. Military intervention and occupation show a classic Planner’s mentality: applying a simplistic external answer from the West to a complex internal problem in the Rest.” 

Leaders of the West are not immune to the strength of idealism and its staunch supporters, especially if it furthers their agenda. Throughout history, whenever a nation has provided a reasoning to intervene in another country, it is from a standpoint of making a superficial and self-serving change without taking into account the complexities of the local region. 

“The West exchanged the old racist coinage for a new currency. ‘Uncivilized’ became ‘underdeveloped.’ ‘Savage peoples’ became the ‘third world.’ There was a genuine change of heart away from racism and toward respect for equality, but a paternalistic and coercive strain survived.” 

Prior to World War II, colonialism tried to justify its actions as an effort to better other peoples; afterward, foreign aid from the West became that mechanism. Although the overt racism and economic plundering began to diminish, it was replaced with the hubris of being a savior for the other. The West may change their rhetoric, but the meaning still expresses the need to exert authority and power.