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Summary: Inciteful and Informative
Review: I really liked this book. It gives alot of first hand accounts of the problems with international aid. It is a fast read, and isn't "academic" like so many of the other books you see on the subject of international development. The only thing I would have liked a little more of, would be have been a breif history of Somalia, Rwanda and Kenya, which would have been helpful in understanding the total context of the book.
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Summary: The Unpleasant Reality
Review: I spent five years in the aid business, two in Africa and three in SE Asia, and I've read most of the available books about it. Nothing captures the reality of the aid universe like The Road to Hell. What Mr. Maren manages to portray is the combination of self-righteous arrogance and clueless ineptitude that characterizes so many of the activities of these organizations. The book is dead-on accurate about the young Western kids who show up in poor countries and somehow instantly know what's best for the poor souls who inhabit them. I've seen the destruction caused by these so-called charities. I even participated in it for a time. Sure, we did some good for some people sometimes. But that does not in any way counterbalance the overall negative effects -- cultural, economic & political -- that are so accurately described in this book. I recommend it to anyone who is thinking about working overseas, anyone who has already done aid or relief work, or anyone who cares about the plight of poor nations.
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Summary: Eye-opening!
Review: If you've ever felt a twinge of guilt when you turn the page on a starving child in one of those Save the Children ads, this book is must reading. It's an open secret in the NGO (non-government organization) community that most of the money contributed ends up in the pockets of corrupt third world politicians and program executives. And Save the Children is one of the *better* organizations... some of them are flatout scams. And even the ones that mean well and try to do a good job often end up doing more harm than good. Sigh...
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Summary: I don't even know what to say about this book because
Review: it doesn't make any sense what so eve
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Summary: Maren extrapolates a bit from limited experience in Somalia.
Review: Maren does a good job of smearing the UN system, US foreign policy directions, and corrupt officials of the developing world. He does less well when it comes to the private international aid organizations, whose evisceration seems to be his primary aim. He targets mainly CARE and Save the Children, two vastly different organizations. The blunders and witting or unwitting contributions to the problems of Somalia made by CARE and the other large NGOs are not in the same category as the problems associated with sponsorship. He should probably have trained his sights more carefully on one or the other problem. Instead we get a scattershot denunciation of all attempts at aid, as patronizing, self-serving, and ultimately destructive. Some of the 'facts' he uses to support his case are patently flawed--especially his discussion of the PL480 program and his definitions of Title I, Title II and Title III. This may be academic, but these mistakes undermine some of his broader points. Finally, while I agree most wholeheartedly about the apathy and ignorance--bordering on criminal neglect--which is rife within the UN system, I think his tar-brush is a bit too ambitious when it comes to the overall picture of international aid. I fully support his recommendation, at the end of the penultimate chapter, that an independent body be established to accredit organizations who are actually doing good, and to channel donors toward them as the most hopeful targets of resources. My fear is that probably the largest organizations in existence today wouldn't make the list, and some of the smaller, more professional ones, when injected with so much donor capital, will become bloated and ineffective, much as the big ones are today.
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Summary: A brilliant contribution
Review: Maren's exploration of the aid industry is a brilliant and incisive work which demands that people read it. Maren unearths the unpalatable reality that is foreign aid and shines some spotlight on an industry that is not terribly well understood in the general public. It should be a wake-up call for those in the industry, but given what Maren has detailed, the most likely reaction will be hope that this book goes away.
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Summary: Road to Hell leads to American grain merchants
Review: Michael Maren began his journey to Africa as a Peace Corps worker. His first introduction to corruption occurred when school construction materials he obtained were diverted to add new rooms to local officials homes. But this was nothing compared to what is revealed in the rest of the book.
Basically, when we provide food to African nations, much of it is stolen and used to build the wealth and power of whatever dictator is ruling at the time. Efforts to help local people grow their own food are often stopped, because the power base of the dictator would be reduced if people could grow their own food rather than depending on the dictator to provide it.
The resulting suffering, wars, and corruption cannot be blamed entirely on evil African dictators. In fact, if I were to apportion blame based on the material in this book, most of it would fall on American grain merchants and the politicians who aid them. And some of the blame goes to the aid agencies who know this is the way the game is played, and say nothing so they can have a small piece of the corruption pie.
American farmers see a pittance of the money made by the excess grain they grow. When extra grain is sent to foreign nations, or bought with Food Stamps in America, it's the American taxpayer and farmers who lose out. Who does get rich? The money goes into the pockets of corporations like A. C. Toepfer, Continental Grain, Interstate Grain, Cargill, Ferruzzi Trading, Matsui, Richo Grain Limited, Archer Daniels Midland, Louis Drefus, and Mitsubishi (page 191).
These corporate parasites continue to suck on the public wealth by promoting ethanol, which according to the Department of Energy, takes more energy to make than it contains (see Chapter 11, Pigs at a Trough or Patzek "Ethanol from Corn: Clean Renewable Fuel for the Future, or Drain on Our Resources and Pockets?" www.wcpn.org/news/2003/07-09/images/ethanol/EthanolFromCorn.pdf )
This is an important book, one that ought to be read to understand how the grain industry ought to be reformed in America, and how aid agencies affect the economies and politics of African nations.
This book is hard to put down. The stories it tells are very interesting and passionately written.
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Summary: Do we need to be needed?
Review: Michael Maren makes it very clear that we're rarely fully informed about the nature and the ultimate value of foreign aid. As Americans, we want to bring democracy, peace, and abundance to nations who don't enjoy these blessings. And from our chauvinist point of view, we can't imagine how the people we're trying to help could possibly resist our benevolence or look upon it as imperialism. But they do. There are places in the world where our notions of democracy and equal rights are viewed with suspicion or hostility. Take Afghanistan. Or Somalia. Or Red China. Or Iraq. Or Iran. Or Lybia. They're not ready for democracy, and all the free food we can send won't turn a Somali warlord or Mengistu into Thomas Jefferson. What Maren's book proves is that when we try to force-feed our culture to these countries, it does nothing but cause harm and turmoil. Let's face it. Some places aren't ready for the fruits of democracy. The best thing we can do for them is leave them alone. Somalia did just fine for thousands of years before Westerners "civilized" it. They'll do fine without white busybodies trying to turn them into Rotarians, Born-Again Christians and K-Mart shoppers. Let's accept the fact not everyone on the planet is ready for free elections, free markets and a military under civilian control. Let's let them find their own way in the world. And if they ever genuinely want our help, the best thing we can send them is a copy of the Bill of Rights.
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Summary: Reality of the Aid Business
Review: Michael Maren's book is an illuminating look into the world of international humanitarian organisations. Although his book deals specifically with the entry of US aid and donations into Africa, his study reveals many truths about the humanitarian business whether it's in Africa, or other parts of the Third World. I worked with one such organisation before and it's true what he brings up, that the world of humanitarian workers is increasingly being corporatised. There is a world of NGOs to choose from now as opposed to the past when there used to be only the Red Cross and a handful of other organisations involved in disaster response and emergency relief work. Governments all over the world are also increasingly involved in such work, due to the pressure from their citizens to be more responsible world players and to be responsive to the needs of the less fortunate in the global community we live in. With more players in the humanitarian field, there is more competition, and there is a need to run it like a business to make sure you get the funding you require for your programmes. This in itself, is not a negative transformation as there have been examples of aid organisations being better run and more efficient, if one looks more closely at the profit margin (in terms of results, not money). However, this changes the focus of organisations from one of helping others in distress to one of making as much money as possible from the donors. In this transition, many NGOs seem to be losing sight of the reason they exist in the first place. Maren attacks the NGOs he has worked with but also gives the other side of things. Donors are at fault too, they tend to assume that just because Third World countries need help, they can just dump anything that is not wanted on them. Many times, through my experience, donors practically throw stuff they don't need out the window, assuming that anything is good enough for people in the developing world. This arrogance and stupidity is frustrating fr aid workers. In taking the easy way out of contributing things they do not require, donors only appease their feelings of guilt, and worse, this lack of analysis and thought process allows the donors to be exploited. The aid business is a vicious cycle, with all players having a responsibility to make it work. Not just the NGOs and donors, but also the recipients as well. As Maren illustrated, this business is alot more touchy and dangerous than anything else as it deals with human lives, not just money. A must-read for those who want a real look into the mechanics of the humanitarian enterprise.
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Summary: Interesting reading, emotional hype, faulty reasoning
Review: Mr. Maren provides an interesting look into the impact of aid in Somalia and into the operation of Save the Children (subjects not obviously related). While the book appears to be well-researched, his credibility is undermined by his highly emotional double standard and his often faulty reasoning. Most of Mr. Maren's work is preoccupied with assigning the blame. Donors and development workers are assigned full moral responsibility not only for their own shortcomings, but for the sins of aid recipients. This curious view patronizes aid recipients and portrays them as helpless victims, too immature to be moral beings. No doubt this stark contrast makes for better reading; but the result is an ironic parallel between his own presentation of his story and the advertising campaigns of Save the Children that capitalize on images of helpless starving children. The story he tells would be an excellent opening to point out the institutional flaws in the aid system, and to offer recommendations on how they might be corrected. It would also be interesting to think a little more deeply about what would happen if no aid were given. Mr. Maren's assumption, which requires a better articulation and defense, is that the no-aid outcome would have been superior. Is that true only in Somalia, or in general? If not aid, what alternative? What if anything should be done? But Mr. Maren does not address these more thoughtful questions. He is content to condemn. By the middle of the book, this is not enough to hold a reader's attention.
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