Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a January 2010 speech that “development was once the province of humanitarians, charities, and governments looking to gain allies in global struggles. Today it is a strategic, economic, and moral imperative — as central to advancing American interests and solving global problems as diplomacy and defense.” President Trump has been more dubious about the utility of foreign aid but has nonetheless allowed much of it to continue.

The international donor community has become its own lobby. Often, diplomats and donors believe the benefits of humanitarian assistance trump its drawbacks (although a new book by my colleague challenges that assumption). Corruption is often downplayed or ignored. To World Bank employees, for example, Paul Wolfowitz’s greatest sin during his short tenure at the helm was to prioritize anti-corruption accountability.