Foreign aid is the perfect metaphor for all the economic problems the West faces. Our body politic is so obsessed with empathy at any price that we are no longer capable of understanding something that every household knows: many things that are good, virtuous and desirable are nonetheless unaffordable. The reason you don't give hundreds of thousands to help the poor, house the homeless or save the whales is not that you hate the poor, the homeless and whales. It's that you can't afford to feed, clothe and house you own family if you do so. Britain and America both have debts that are similar to their GDP. That's the equivalent of a household which earns 100k a year having a debt of 100k. Not only that, we add to the debt every year because we continually spend more than we earn. Would or should a household in that position be giving money to charity? But as a society we have lost the ability to say no to things that make us feel good. Countries used to run up debts during times of war and pay them off during times of peace. Now we just print money to avoid having to tighten our belts. A society of narcissistic, materialistic adolescents who are impoverishing their own children and grandchildren.