A close look at US history will reveal that many of the first private entities to undertake international aid and development work were those grounded in religion. As early as the mid 1800’s Christian missionaries set out for Lebanon, Syria, and the Holy Lands to proselytize and eventually, to build schools and provide western medical assistance [1]. Today, the number of faith-inspired organizations extending aid and development assistance abroad has grown immensely, touching every habitable continent on Earth. Though the role of religious based and faith-inspired development/aid organizations seems tangential in academia, it is nevertheless a crucial component of contemporary private internationalism. A brief consideration of pros and cons of this brand of private internationalism is not only informative at a basic level, but also begins to reveal the critical role religion plays in influencing American foreign policy abroad.
According to the Berkeley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, deeming a development/aid organization “faith-inspired”, “reflects the appreciation of the complex links between faith and organization, belief and action. In the context of faith-inspired organizations and their intersection with development, religion and faith bring forth moral and ethical attributes that tend to emphasize human and spiritual contributions to the political and economic." [2] Though this does not imply proselytizing or active recruiting to the faith of the organization (though it can), the inclusion of a religious dynamic to the primary mission of development and aid does saddle these types of organizations with a certain stigma, both at home and abroad. Organizations affiliated with a religion that differs, often dramatically, from the host country can experience understandable resistance to their efforts. Additionally, fellow citizens at home in the US may not approve of international efforts, citing need here at home, or disapproval with presumed “religious agendas”. Furthermore, faith-inspired development/aid work can cause political concern, especially when the faith of the organization is at odds with the faith allied to the host state. Depending on the strength of the ties between the state and religion, political impact from faith-inspired organizations can range from nominal to significant.
These stigmas have not, however, seemed to diminish the success of many of these organizations. Faith-inspired development/aid organizations are often wildly successful in their host countries, particularly because faith can often serve as a common denominator and point of departure for dialogue between often radically different groups. This success can serve as de facto diplomacy; engagement on a personal level, providing for people in ways that their state and other states cannot (or will not) can improve the US image abroad (though, in contrast, it certainly has the power to damage it). The importance of such private internationalism and its influence has been proven historically. Mainly, faith-inspired organizations can avoid a good deal of the resistance that comes with official development aid by positioning themselves as primarily a religious group. This can assuage, to some degree, local fears about foreign policy and strategic implications of official development aid. Also, faith-inspired organizations do not have limits on the amount of aid that they give: often, their mission statements devote the whole of the organization to providing development/aid, whereas official development aid is calculated to a percent of Gross National Income. Faith-inspired organizations can supplement official development aid and fill in the gaps left by countries that are either unwilling or unable to provide to this level.
The voluntary contributions of ordinary citizens, both in time and in money, through faith-inspired organizations should not be scoffed at. Through dedicated investing in development and aid projects, there organizations are promoting goodwill and progressive values on a personal level that is nearly inaccessible to big governments. Academics, politicians, and regular citizens alike would do well to wise up to the political, economic, and social influence that these faith-inspired organizations carry in order to assist their efforts, or work to reform them.
[1] Oren, Michael. Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to Present. W.W. Norton and Company, INC. New York, New York. 2007
[2] http://repository.berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/cambodia_2009.pdf
Other Sources:
Shah, Anup. “US and Foreign Aid Assistance”, http://www.globalissues.org/article/35/us-and-foreign-aid-assistance
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