What first? Aid or defence?
Discussion statement | This is for ages 10 to 13
Should countries reduce foreign aid to spend more on things like defence?
Governments have limited money to spend. Sometimes they choose to spend more on defence (protecting themselves or fighting with others) instead of foreign aid (helping others in need). What's the right thing to do?
Tell us what you think
You might want to structure your answer like this:
I think [your opinion] is most important because [the reason for your opinion]. I believe this because [a piece of evidence].
Make sure you read the comments from other Topical Talkers to see whether you agree or disagree with them.
Comments (425)
I think that countries should not decrease aid money given to other countries just to increase defence expenditure. Defence makes a nation safe from current threats, but aid prevents the formation of the initial problems that become defence concerns later on.
Forgetting about poor standards of living, poor levels of education, and poor government might cause wars to emerge and affect all countries in the globe regardless of their location.
Those who want to adopt a policy of increasing defence expenditure also believe that governments should think about their own people, particularly during difficult times. This is not an unreasonable position to take, but history has again and again revealed that power and military might alone are not sufficient to bring lasting peace and harmony. Today, many wars are being triggered by social and economic instability in various regions, which international aid directly prevents.
Foreign aid can also be used to build diplomatic relationships. For instance, two countries can forge strong diplomatic relationships if they helped each other during challenging times, such as disaster strikes or financial crunches.
Ultimately, defence and foreign aid must work together. Defence responds to immediate dangers, while foreign aid reduces long-term risks. A balanced approach protects not just a nation’s present, but its future stability as well.
I mostly agree, but sending aid money from a country to prevent a military conflict doesn’t form a good strategy most of the time. All conflicts nowadays wouldn’t have been avoided by foreign aid payments. A conflict nowadays is mostly caused by a regime or a dictator which exploits its people. If aid money is sent, most of it wouldn’t reach the people in need. As we saw in Somalia from 1992 to 1995 when a massive aid package was sent to stop the famine in Somalias population, an radical islamistic group seized the aid package and caused a military operation by the us, where dozens of Americans and hundreds of Somalis died.
I’m not saying, that we should stop providing aid for countries, who are stuck in times of crisis. We should rather think about who we really give our money to and if our money really serves its purpose in the place that it was sent to. In the end we and by we I mean all countries should be more critical about sending aid to other countries. And by aid I mean every payment that is made. Even payments for bycicle lanes in Peru. Aid is necessary to live in a healthy world but its not something that should be given around the world blindly.
You actually changed my opinion on this topic, my original stance was that a leader is responsible for their citizens first and this is true, but as you said diplomatic relations, might actually benefit them more than just defense, it would open up space for trade, sharing intelligence and helping develop each others nations, giving mutual benefits to both parties, and not helping those nations when they are in need might actually lead to conflicts in the future, because when that country finally finds it's ground again they will break ties with your nation.
I agree because... if your conutry needs aid thay should send aid
Countries shouldn't, in my own opinion, cut back on foreign aid in order to boost defence expenditures. While aid helps prevent social and economic issues that eventually become security threats, defence is crucial for dealing with immediate threats. Ignoring unstable government, inadequate educational systems and subpar living conditions can lead to conflict that eventually impacts the entire world.
Although it makes sense for governments to put their own citizens first, particularly during trying times, history demonstrates that military by itself cannot bring about enduring peace. Building diplomatic ties between countries is another benefit of foreign aid. In the end, cooperation between defence and aid is necessary to safeguard both immediate and long-term international stability.
I agree because in my own opinion countries shouldn’t waste there money because it matters of what you have not what you thinking to get so I think you should think about what matters And I think what matters is that you can really cut back on the foreign aid and think about what you really need but I understand that the government put there citizens first instead of them but it does make sense
I agree because aid is very useful for everyone especially for those people in need and for the hospitals who really need it right now.
I disagree because... I think we should think more about are military more than aid because we need to be ready in case of an attack
Hi! I understand your point about the importance of being prepared for possible attack. However, in my opinion, foreign aid is also essential because it improves relations between countries. When a country supports others in difficult situations, it builds cooperation, and stronger diplomatic ties. In the long term, better international relations can increase stability and reduce the risk of conflict.
I agree because countries Defence makes a nation safe from current threats, but aid prevents the formation of the initial problems that become defence concerns later on.
Foreign aid can also be used to build diplomatic relationships. For instance, two countries can forge strong diplomatic relationships if they helped each other during challenging times, such as disaster strikes or financial crunches.
I agree because the defence should protect them from threats and make the nation safe.
hey straightforward_artist great comment, but if a country attacks another how are they to defend themselves especially when the attacking country has a robust defence force ?
I think there is no clear answer for this question.The problem is that the argument her is putting us on the horns of dilemma. Each country has the right to defend its own people.Charity begins at home. You can't be spending money on other countries where your own country is needy and your people are suffering or are liable to be in danger. On the other hand,these poor countries need aid so badly so that they can survive. i believe that since we are livig in the age of globalization,we need to think globally.Whatever happens in one place affects the whole world.So giving aid is a way of defense as well. There should be world treaties oblidging all counties to allocate a part of its income to the poorer countries.May be asa a form of taxes .It should be agreed worldwide that poverty is a threat to the whole world that needs global and radical solutions.Setting a balance between the two options is a must that requires a lot of wisedom.
I think foreign aid should be given equal or even greater importance than defence because preventing problems is better than reacting to them with force. I believe this because many global threats, such as conflict, terrorism, disease, and mass migration, often begin in places affected by poverty, weak governments, or natural disasters. Foreign aid helps address these root causes before they turn into larger security problems that may require military action.
For example, when countries invest in foreign aid by supporting education, healthcare, clean water, and disaster relief, they help create stability in vulnerable regions. Stable countries are less likely to experience conflict or become safe spaces for extremist groups. This means there is less risk of violence spreading across borders, which directly benefits the security of wealthier nations. In this way, foreign aid can act as a form of long-term defence without the need for weapons or conflict.
However, defence spending is still necessary to protect a country from immediate threats. Governments have a duty to keep their citizens safe, especially in a world where tensions between nations are high. The problem arises when defence budgets grow at the expense of helping others, as this can increase global inequality and resentment.
Overall, while defence is important, reducing foreign aid too much is short-sighted. A balanced approach that maintains strong defence while continuing meaningful foreign aid is the most responsible and effective choice for long-term global security.
i agree it is better if there is aid in case people are alive but need serious help because there hurt.
I agree with you; independent musician.
Could you elaborate on why you agree?
I agree with this comment very much indeed
Could you elaborate on why you think so?
I agree as well strong queen. :) (: :P {: }:
I agree with this comment very much indeed .
Could you elaborate on why you think so?
I agree with you because foreign aid is important same with defense and if we reduced foreign aid most countries that need foreign aid but only get defense it would be a problem. We are expected to be donors and countries that need foreign aid had leaders that stole the countries money. A balanced approach that maintains strong defense while continuing meaningful foreign aid is better that just choosing one in particular it is the most responsible and effective choice for long-term global security.
In addition to foreign aid, I think donor countries should have planned programs that ultimately lift receiving countries from poverty such they too can donate to other countries. This will set up cycle that will help to drastically reduce poverty especially in Africa and other third world countries.
I think I agree with you on this. Giving out aid to underdeveloped countries helps better than building defence.
An example is the United State's "Marshall Plan" , after the World War 2, Europe was broke and hungry, the US gave massive grants to rebuild their cities and factories. This turned former enemies like West Germany into solid allies against the Soviet Union.
Good historical reference! You make a strong point that aid can be strategic and act as a form of defense. In your opinion, what are the reasons developed countries today can not replicate the success Western Europe achieved under the Marshall plan and become economically independent afterward?
I agree with your opinion. Aid should definetly be given equal and greater importance than defence.
I agree because defence and aid are both very important but better defence leads to the whole area to be safe then we won’t need aid as often. We should also try to support education too for children especially if the need it because we should all be treated equally. When aid is too expensive the should get other countries to contribute too and help maybe with money or just support. Overall I agree with your great explanation.
I believe that aid to another country is more important than defence. Usually if you help someone when they need it, they will help you if you need help. If you aid another country, you can ally with them and you can be more powerful instead of being alone. For example, In World War II The Axis Powers had Germany, Italy and Japan. Why did countries in World War 2 have allies? They need to be stronger than the opponent to win the war.
I agree with you, giving foreign aid to me is a smart power strategy, it goes beyond simply giving handouts. Foreign aid can inspire a country to cooperate, when life saving assistance is given during pandemics, natural disasters liking flooding or even wars, countries begin to build soft powers and authority. This brings about loyalty, countries who will stand by the countries who have given foreign aids especially during international disputes, this i believe is even more important than any weapons systemt. Foreign is an like an investment in future market, helping a developing country become more stable economically is creating a new trading partner which is a win win for all involved as it is easier to support a struggling nation today than send a strong army to deal with a collapsed country tomorrow.
Hi, we see eye to eye that aid is crucial for a country and even it can be more important than defence. Giving aid to others who need it will beneficiate the country in a future, maybe in return of aid when is needed or also defence. Helping others could provide to the country support from others with defence, for instance, in war situations. Despite the fact that each country is different from each other, with this helps we little by little could start to join together as a world and help each other whenever it's needed.
Hello, innovative cheetah
I strongly agree with your point as being two countries in a war supporting each other will help a lot. Poor countries have a low level of education, a small amount of war tools like guns, weapons, airplanes and "advanced" tools like technology.
In school, I learned that some people who has the control over social media can control what's being shared and for who, so these people can be biased; they might share misinformation about a government or a country policies. This would confuse people and make them doubt that their country is weak or unfair.
Foreign aid is something really kind and gives a sense of safety and peace instead of feeling alone and unsupported. It makes them feel that they aren't alone and that others are there any time to provide support.
It is like a tree or a plant, can a plant grow without water, nutrients or light? Of course, no, it will die. It is very similar to poor countries; they have poverty, drought, less access to education, weak tools of defending their country.
Another example is the war between Palestine and Isreal. The war stayed for too long until Egypt decided to make a peace deal between them, returning peace to Palestine.
Overall, foreign aid is important as all countries are on the same planet. However, some money should be kept to solve problems in OUR OWN countries. Simply, these must be a balance between both,
I think, to give aid is more important than to defence, because preventing problems is better than reacting by force. And when you help another country, when they need help, they can help your country too.
I agree with you because supplying aid for another country can help them by saving a lot of lives, global health development and enhanced security and stability. By helping them, they will want to always help you during struggles in a country. It is more like gaining a very strong relationship, another reason I agree with you is because people who defend the country might get shot and will need foreign aid for their treatment.
I agree because if you help a country that is in a very hard situation either with money, food supply,and other services, they could also help you if you are in a critical situation.
If you help a country in need you can keep good relationships based on trust, cooperation and maybe you can be very good friends and help each other.
In conclusion I agreed with you because with the help of two countries you could also cooperate with each other with AID
THANK YOU 🙏🙏🏿
I strongly agree with you because when you help a country that is going through hard times and you give it an aid, in the future if you are going through hard times they can do the same to you. For example if there is a war the two of you can become allies and fight for your countries and if possible you can win the war. So Aid is better than defense.
I do not agree with you because if the persons country needs help what will the person do if he does not have money to defend his country what will he do? I think you should choose defense over aid because you can defend your country from any bad group, it will not only help your country it will help you to. Tell your leaders do not give aid to another country help your country and defend your country.
In my opinion, defense should definitely come first before aid. Defense prevents crises from happening, and aid only responds to them. Strong defense can stop invasions, terrorism, and tense wars before they destroy lives. Aid helps after the damage is done. In fact, without any defense and security, aid can’t even reach people who need it. In conflict zones or wars, people who provide help to communities are often blocked or attacked by the opposing army. Aid can’t reach people without security because violence will break every step of the delivery. For example, country A and country B are in a war. Although humanitarian workers are neutral, working for both A and B—their lives are at risk. They work in a dangerous environment. Without defense and security, they could come upon unstable routes (destroyed bridges, roads, etc). Aside from that, defense could stop aid from being weaponized. In some areas, armed groups often steal humanitarian aid like food and medicine, then use them to supply fighters, sell them to fund weapons, and even use it as a tool of war, making conflict last longer and increase suffering. Defense can prevent extortion and ensure aid reaches the ones who need it most, not armed groups.
In conclusion, I think that defense is the most important because it provides stability, safety, and control—while aid only works when those exist. Let me know what you guys think!
I agree because in my opinion defense is more important than aid because you need to protect yourself from attacks in order to do other things. This is because if you don't defend yourself you might get killed, and if you are dead you can not give or receive aids. If people don't defend themselves they might get killed which might lead to lose of lives and properties which can bring up crises.
I don't totally agree because not all wars are preventable, from my research most wars needs to actually occur for example world war 1 this resulted in new countries such as Poland, Latvia, and even the re-emergence of Finland, so wars are a natural thing and the best precautional measure to be considered are towards the people and citizens of that country, "AID" is important for the general wellbeing of a country and I don't think that innocent peoples life are worth the risk, imagine yourself in that persons shoes how would you feel if your very wellbeing was being sacrificed just for a little advancement in a country's defense. But on the other hand you are right when this aids are distributed proper measures should be taken to prevent any crimes regarding aid such as theft.
In conclusion aid is a right that every citizens holds and this right shouldn't be taken for granted just because the citizens of a country don't come to ask or request for aids.
I agree with you because if they choose aid over defense their country has problems with what is happening in his or her country will the person give aid to another country when his or her country needs help? No I say that they should choose defense over aid because it will help their country become a better place. All the bad groups will be reducing and all of them will be killed. Take Nigeria for example we need help with insecurity in our country.
I agree with what Mindful_road wrote. Defense should come before aid. For example, in the civil war in my country Nigeria between a country called Biafra trying to leave Nigeria and be a separate country, i read in a book "There was a country" by Chinua Achebe that Biafra could not get any aid from other countries because of how the Nigerian government kept collecting them before they even landed. If there was defense, it would not have been like that. A lot happened but my point is, defense should definitely accompany or even come before aid. Thank you.
In my opinion, I think countries should spend money to defend themselves rather than helping in foreign aid. To emphasis more, defense spending is a necessary thing that enables any state to deter threat whenever a war happens or any other threat( like war threat or a communication shutdown in the state.
While foreign aid may also cause other problems like some countries would rely much more on aid rather than developing their country. Although money aid would be wasted or used against aider.
Hi! I understand your point of view on defense, and it´s true that a country needs to protect itself and be well-prepared for threats. However, I believe that international aid is very important because it helps improve the situations of vulnerable people and reduces poverty.
Investing in aid doesn´t have to mean ignoring defense. Helping other countries can even benefit the security of those who provide assistance. We should stop considering ourselves separate from other countries, because in the end, we are all part of the world and should contribute to making it a better place.
I agree with you because before you give aid you must ensure that your country is secured. For examples Ukraine have invested in defence prior to the war with Russia, if they had not invested in defense, Russia would have overun them by now. Yes, it is true that thye got some aid fro the USA but they are to keep fighting because of their inestestment arms.
That said, it is not out of place for poor third world countries to seek for foreign support instead of aid because it takes the full and satisfied to invest inn arms.
I agree with you because, if war comes they will need money to buy weapons to protect themselves, imagine if the money had been spent on aid? They need to focus more on defense because if crisis, war or any threat enters their country the military will be able to defend their country and fight for the country. Defense focuses on fighting and protecting the country while aid is the care given to other countries who may not really need it or will spend it the wrong way. if they focus on defense they will be able to fight off invasions, terrorism and many other threat against their country.
For instance country A and country B are having a crisis and country B wants to invade country A, if country A focuses on aid a lot of people will loose their lives in its home country though it is helping other countries. At the end of the day country B will defeat country A, leaving it distabilised, and those countries who received aid from them may not be able to help them out of their problems.
I think you should put aid first because if you give help to them they will give help to you, if you defend you might get criticised for not helping them and it might turn into war or something bad
Hello faithful_crab! Aid often goes from a wealthy country to a poorer one - can you think of any ways the poorer country could help those supplying aid?
They could help the wealthier countries by giving some of that aid back
you should defend first and then worry about aid.
Why do you think so?
I agree because we have to help the people in danger.
On the other hand, we also have to help our own people to have more for generations.
Why do you think both of these are the case?
I think aid is more important because say if you get shot you are going to need medical attention so therefore it is more important than defence.In defence you are just going to waste there money on your guns and the guns are very expensive meanwhile with the medical stuff it is actually useful because it can save lives.
I think that we should send aid to people so they can defend themselves but if i was in an emergency i would save myself then my family then other people. If me and my family are safe I will try to save other people because i am kind.
I think aid is most important because we need aid so we can survive then we are all alive and then we can build defence and the countries will be safe and live and not die.
So you might have heard of the shooting in Australia
Hi - why do you think the shooting in Australia is relevant here? Please do explain.
I think there have been smaller shootings and violent incidents, such as spree shootings in Lake Cargelligo earlier in 2026 (UNRELATED to terrorism) where several people in what police are investigating as a domestic incident rather than a political attack. ( This shooting was because extremist-motivated ).
I think that people should help a bit less so they can save themselves. On the other hand, you should help others before yourself. I personally think that you should spend money on your army, then the rest leftover can be spent on others. On the other other hand, if you was on a plane, it says '' Help yourself before helping others''.
Good view of both sides of the argument, secure_alligator - what do you think is the right thing to do?
I believe defence should go first as aid can be important and can help but defending yourself is way better than relying on someone else
i learnt that the options that i thought could get a lot of points didn't so i know i need to think deeper. Countries should bring aid so in case anyone gets hurt,people are ready to treat them in time.It is safer and it makes sure everyone is ok when fighting.
I think we should defence
Why do you think this is the case?
Hi! I understand that defense is important for a country´s security, but I believe that forgeign aid is also essential. International aid saves lives because it provides food, medicine, and education to people who are experiencing very difficult situations. Reducing aid would increase suffering and instability in the world.
Supporting other countries can improve international relations, which in the long term promotes security. For all these reasons, I believe that foreign aid is very important and should not be easily reduced.
I think that we should aid to other countries so they could protect themselves but i also think we should protect our country first because if we just give aid to other countries and don't care about about us, we would be harming our citizens in our country too. I think we should defend ourselves but also help other countries. This shows that there is no clear answer for this question and that we should just protect as many countries as we can but also protecting ourselves the most so we don't harm our people here in the UK. This is just my opinion, if you don't agree then i understand but this is what i think.
Hi neat_duck, I have given you a star for when you said "there is no clear answer" to this very complex question! Well done for considering how difficult these decisions and problems are, and for being brave to say that they are very challenging.
Personally, I think that defence should be put first. I think this because when your in a aeroplane and their telling you the safety checks, they tell you to put on your mask before you help any body else so this tells me you should put defence before aid. When you want to help struggling country in war you have to protect yourself so you don't get stuck in war you didn't start in. Also sometimes you have to know who to help because if you give money or supplies to somebody who doesn't, it can lead to corruption or incorrect use.
I think that aid should be first.Aid should be first because although its good to defence, aid should be first because you need to help yourself before you help any body else.
Helping other people is good and kind but you need to help yourself because you want to make sure your okay until you help other people.
We need to understand that helping yourself first is not selfish! If you want to help yourself first,don't think your selfish.
i agree helping others before your self is not selfish but if you can you should help other counties.
I agree because it is good not to be selfish and rude
I think we should spend money on our country but we also need to help other counties. We need to send aid to the middle east and other counties in war. It is also important to make sure everyone in our country is safe and have the right aid. It is important that we make sure our country is safe but other people around need aid and help. If we spend money on uk and there is no money to help people that are in need of aid people can donate. In conclusion i think the uk should spend money on aid for uk but we should make sure people from other counties are safe and have aid.
i think it's more important to defend first because if the county has sent aid but got invaded the county who recived the aid may not be able to help because they are still recovering and the county remains defencless but if the county defence it self first then the conty can support it's self and the other county after wards and both countries remain safe.
Hello! I agree with your opinion that defense should be the first thing that we have to take care of. If all countries agreed that international aid was safe and there will be no conflicts or any other cruel aggression, then it would be acceptable to spend more on it than on defense. However, considering the current state of many countries and reality of the global society, I believe that national defense should take priority. There are some countries still have poor relations with each other or even on alert, while others are requiring stronger power than rest of countries.
As you mentioned invasion as an example, I think it could be a good example supporting our opinion. I also think citizens/your country should be the one that we care the most. Imagine you are getting invaded, but you don't have enough money to protect and about to defeat just because you spent more money to the aid. How would you feel? And how would the people in your country be like? Even further, how would your country be like?
Thank you for your wonderful comment and also, I hope I can see more reasons to your argument next time since you got abilities to do expand your statement. Thank you!
no,because we need to look after our own contry like if we had a flood or somethink wre will die will no help and we need to keep some money so we will stay safe and prepared,on the other hand we need to givce help to others so they dont get upset and think we are just trying to protect ourself and them but we need to look after ourself and then we can look after the others so yes i have 2 resons fir this qwueston:)
I think foreign aid is more important than spending more money on defence because supporting other countries in need helps create a safer and more stable world in the long run.
I believe this because foreign aid improves access to education, healthcare, and basic resources, which can reduce poverty, conflict, and instability.
For example, when countries invest in aid programmes such as schools, medical services, and clean water projects, it helps communities become stronger and more independent, reducing the chances of future global crises.
I believe the UK government should focus on giving aid because of our natural defences like the English channel
I think aid is more important because if people are in danger you can help, also if people are starving you can provide them food and medical assistance to help people in need. Defence is least important because you are only caring about your own country and not helping people who need it most. Aid also provides help to other countries and some countries won’t loose so many citizens. But defence won’t care about the poor and people in the world.
I agree with you because Aid is more important than defense. if you only defend your own country, other countries will be in danger and will need medical assistance and other necessities. so, other countries need aid so that they can survive. Defense is important but caring about other countries with major humanitarian challenges is more important in my opinion. in these countries it is mostly women and children that suffer most, because they make up a larger part of the population. If help does not come it will lead to lose of lives.
Is your claim about women and children based on evidence?
I agree with you because aid is important because it saves lives, provides food, medical assistance, education and infrastructure in a country. Defense is also important in a country to help block attacks from another countries but defense will reduce the population of a particular country while aids will help people across country. Aid gives other countries who are not able to feed themselves, treat themselves or even survive on their own country. But other countries can help another country with aids (which is called Foriegn Aid) for example, USA sent Aid to Ukraine.
I think aid is important because you would be more respected for your support in the country because government should care for others first, then their own for people can be poor on stuff like education, food, money, ETC.
How do you think someone living in the country and paying their taxes would feel about that?
They would feel pretty annoyed for paying taxes for other country’s survival
but foreign aid would be worth doing for they shall help the country too if in bad shape in return but governments should also focus on there own defence because say you are in a war, you don’t have any defence nor have aid they would be invaded immediately and may cause country population could decrease.
A country's leader is first dedicated to their country's citizens and then others, so I feel like defending the lives of your own citizens should take priority over other countries, and think about the taxpayers in those nations, imagine how you would feel if you paid for your country to take care of you and your fellow citizens, and instead of developing your country, they spend all their budget helping a separate country, while allowing you to suffer, and grow poor, someone who isn't paying for it is enjoying the fruits of your labor.
I think aid over defence because if they get defence first and then the country could be dying out and while you defend the country until eventually nobody will even use the defence as there could be a drop in population leading in weak army’s by the time you send aid.
Hi funny octopus!
I completely agree with you. I'm keen on how you explain it as it's true that perhaphs we are paying a lot for defence, but then, unfortunately the population is decreasing. So that defence isn't working at all.
As you said, for me to, aid is more important.
Hi funny octopus!
I completely agree with you. I'm keen on how you explain it as it's true that perhaphs we are paying a lot for defence, but then, unfortunately the population is decreasing. So that defence isn't working at all.
As you said, for me too, aid is more important.
I think that foreign aid is the most important because it helps in long term problems. I believe this because helping others will improve alliances and will give you more security if something bad happens to our country. Even though I think foreign aid is more important, defence if still very important if something happens out of the blue. For example, if a powerful country came on us like Spain or France we would have the defence to help us. But, foreign aid would also help us as well because any country that we supported might help us to.
I think aid is more important than defence because you should put other people first. I believe that aid is more important so other countries can see how much you support them.
I think aid is more important because then your country would give an good example and if we think defence is more important we are more likely to build dangerous things e.g bombs, that could of been stolen by different countries so that would be the start to another war
I think that country’s should keep on sending aid because a country only needs a certain amount of aid and if they don’t share it then people will die.
In addition, if the country’s government didn't send it and instead took the money and put it into the army and defences, they would have more enemies than friends and eventually they would takeover the country. Also the aid would be barely be any use to them
Thanks for your comment. Be careful when making sweeping statements... "if they don't share it people will die". Is this true? Can you support it with evidence? "Eventually they would take over the country" - again, is this true and based in evidence?
It should be aid because it's like helping other people when their needed when something goes wrong and it's really important if something bad happens and defence should be 50 per-sent because you won't know what's going to happen and you need to be ready at what terrible stuff is happening and you would be capable at what you are doing in some specific if someones aid is needed, and you don't help them they would be in danger.
I think defence is more important because if you can't protect yourself you will need more and more aid. Others may disagree because everybody needs food, water and many other things to survive.
I think that defence is key first because if you chose aid first then the other country might keep on attacking and you will run out of resources and aid so they can just keep launching attacks bombs and sending people to attack.Some evidence to back my answer was when USA sent aid to Ukraine which was only helpful for a couple of weeks.
I see where you are trying to get but I´m not totally conviced about what you are saying, as you, I beleive that each country needs to have their own defense. However as far as I´m concerned, giving aid supplies to countries that really need them can be essencial to that country although is little and it doesn´t last to much time, is a support for the community and it creates hope among the citizens.
I think that defence is more important because you don't want your country getting invaded but I also think aid is important because other countries are struggling more than us and we want to have allies so we're not a target to lots of other countries.I believe that if we are kind to other countries they will eventually be kind to us.
I agree with you, security is the foundation of life so I believe countries should first of all think of protecting their citizens before thinking of foreign aid. In a war or conflict it is important to have right equipment like advance weapons, body armour etc. A nation should be well secured and have the right to exist and govern itself, a strong military can very well prevent a war before it starts, when countries know that you can defend yourself they are less likely to attack. With what has been happening around the world, relying on other nations to protect you is very risky. I know someone might say helping a country with foreign aid like building a hospital or farm makes them your ally and this helps improves their economic growth which also makes them your trading partners. As good as these points are, i believe peace is a required for any meaningful trade to take place and it is only in an environment of peace that the workforce of any country can thrive.
I think that defence is more important because you don't want your country getting invaded but I also think aid is important because other countries are struggling more than us and we want to have allies so we're not a target to lots of other countries.I believe that if we are kind to other countries they will eventually be kind to us.
I think both aid and defence is most important because when you are hurt in war or injured , you can get aid to heal you then after you can get healed . Then after you get healed , you will already have defence with you such as weapons, shields and lots more. I believe this because when Ukraine got bombed by Russia , they got defence and came back to them. Both of these really are important.
I think that they should spend money for people and not only on there self because other people matter to but I would say that they should not spend too much money because if you are at a age were you are going to University you need to spend money on what your job is going to be.
i think aid is more important because defence is when you just defend your self but aid is when you help people and give them money, food , drink and maybe a home or some were to stay . My friend that does not go to my school l her mum on christmas when to a kitchen and cooked roast dinner for the people that dont have someone to celibrate with or that is poor so i think aid because you can help lots of people like my friend mum that is why i choose aid .
Thanks for sharing. This is an example of charity giving on smaller scale. Do you think it's the same when it's whole countries giving millions of pounds from their government's budget?
I think defence is the most important because if a country comes and raid you and they don't tell you but you have a equipment to help because what if the other country doesn't have as much defence as you , have weapons but they don't have as much . I believe this because they might just be doing this because they don't have as much it's like stealing from a country.
I think they should spend very little money because otherwise if they spend too much then they might not have enough money for future threats or conferences.But at the same time they should spend quite a lot of money so that they can have hygienic and healthy resources so maybe they should have a spend limit on the account they use to spend money.
I think defence is most important because if there is no defence you would have less protection and you will have less time to plan important things to save your contry
I think giving money to other countries is important because if you don't and the country suffers then you could be heavily criticised by other countries that have supported them throughout their times in war. I believe this because when the UK stopped giving resources they were heavily criticised.
I think that countries should try to send aid and build their defence at the same time because they could send out loads of aid to several countries, but by the time they have finished sending out aid, they would no more money for their own country to help themselves. I believe this even though I don't have any evidence because it has probably happened before , it is probably something that might happen in the next few years. Countries can be generous, but sometimes they might be too generous they might be too generous and not leave anything for themselves as a country. Therefore , I think countries should continue to send aid , but not too much.
Thanks for your comment. Is it wise to believe things without evidence? Can you do some research to support your point of view?
I think helping others in need because if you help, other people will help you back and maybe that country might be struggling and they will need a lot of support. I believe this because America helped Ukraine since Russia was invading them and now Ukraine has better resources because America spent billions of pounds on them and supported them. That shows that we can all help and make a big, good change.
Aid is the most important because someone could be in danger and they might end up losing their lives and some could be capable of surviving. Defence is kind of important because you might not know what your capable of and it's important to be safe in what your doing.
I believe that aid is more important than defence because people need food,water,houses.I believe this because sending aid is more important than caring about yourself. Also you should send aid to other people because they probably need it really much and you probably do not really need it so I would advise people to send aid to other countries because you might not need it as much as they do.
I said this because in class today we were learning about sending aid to other countries and for the first one,flooding, I picked A because sending aid to a countries that has a flood and needs homes is a good thing. I would love to send aid that have very bad disasters.😀
i think defence is most important because that if there is a surprise attack there is a defence already waiting to be prepared for war.there is also a 90 percent chance that you can win the war if you fight back instead of healing than going you might spy to see their plan for battle and to see their pick of battle field of obstacles and to train for it.i believe this because defence is a very good and there is not just guns and pistols to defend there is also walls and types of shield.
Hi! I understand your point of view, and I also think that defence is very important for future issues, but I believe that giving aid and helping other countries is really important and should come first. This could help reduce poverty, build stronger relationships with other countries, and save lives by providing necessary things such as food or medical care.
Finally, defence is really necessary, but not everything is about guns and weapons, protecting human lives is equally important, because a country that cares for people is much stronger both morally and strategically.
Hi, topical talkers.
In my opinion, a choice between foreign aid and defense depends on the situation of the country at that point in time. For instance, a country at war may rely more on foreign aid than defense, not because defense is unimportant, but during that period, such a country needs all available resources to survive and sustain essential operations. On the other hand, during times of peace and ongoing development, I feel it will be of better advantage for a government to invest in strengthening the defense of the country preparing for any future challenges as much as we hope that such threats never arise. In conclusion, I'll say defense is the foundation, and foreign aid is the reinforcement when threat presents itself.
As someone from India, I have seen why this debate between foreign aid and defense spending is not simple. Growing up, I remember news about floods in Kerala and cyclones on the eastern coast, where government aid and international support were crucial for rebuilding homes and other important places. At the same time India also faces security challenges on its borders, which shows why defense spending cannot be ignored either.
India currently spends around 2.4% of its GDP on defense, while foreign aid and humanitarian assistance form a smaller share on the national budget. This reflects a global pattern: according to the world bank, most countries spend over ten times more on defense than on foreign aid. Supporters of defense argue that without national security, economic growth and stability are impossible. for example, border tensions in recent years have pushed India to modernize its military to protect its sovereignty.
However, reducing foreign aid can have serious consequences. The OECD reports that over 700 million people worldwide still live in extreme poverty and aid plays a serious role in providing health care and education. During the COVID-19 pandemic, India both received and provided medical assistance showing how international cooperation can save lives.
I think the real solution is balance. Governments should not choose between aid and defense as if it must replace each other.
signing off: Fair minded elephant
I think aid needs more attention as if you spent more money on defending yourself, it might not work and people would get injured and not be attended to properly. Which in my opinion would be very bad because if everyone gets injured or killed you would be in a horrible position. It’s hard to think that we have to make a decision between the two as they are equally important for it’s what we need for protection and to live. If I had to choose I would be stuck as I would need to make a decision to save lives but I wouldn’t know which one would do it as if I choose wrong a lot of people may die.
But on the other hand, we need protection from stuff that could kill us for we don’t die from what the other countries might send in our way like bombs or tanks. We also need to fight against the enemy so they can’t attack us as they are to weak to fight against us. And if we protect then there might not be any poor living conditions, barely any education and everyone scared to go outside or just leave their homes if they have one. As being in those situations would be horrible for anyone and everyone, you might be homeless or injured because there wasn’t enough protection.
In conclusion, it would be hard to choose between them but I think after writing this I would go protection and attack because know one should feel unsafe and in danger. I would rather be protected and make sure who we’re fighting doesn’t have to go through that. So let them give up and both be safe. So protecting is the best thing for me but what about you, what do you think is the best way to solve this?
My personal opinion is that when a country spends money on aid for other countries with limited resources to help them live better and In a way that guarantees people a decent life, this is much more important than spending money on military defense, because the basis of life on earth is peace , not war , and cooperation between peoples is the highest goal of humanity.
You say "cooperation between peoples is the highest goal of humanity", can you say more on this?
I actually think that the government's money should be split in half each half could buy defenses and aid, so, if there are any citizens that are hurt they can be healed and the country could be strong enough with their defenses and weapons in case there is a conflict between them and another country or for example war, they can be ready enough to fight a little.
However, some countries might think that they should spend on defenses more than medical use or the other way around so in this paragraph I'm going to talk about what will happen if the government's spent more on defenses. At the government spent more on defenses the death rate in their country is going to most likely start to get higher because medical uses and AIDS are not enough for the injured citizens and hospitals everyday, because yes, they are going to most likely win every fight and be ready for any war but what will be the point of soldiers are fighting for their citizens and the citizens are already dying.
In this paragraph I'm going to talk about the government spend more on medical uses then defenses. If the government spent more medical uses, they are going to most likely and maybe even certainly lose every fight and their country will be like a toy for other countries because it's going to be known that it's weak and yes it's going to be barely any citizen to die because they have a good amount of medical aid but you actually never know maybe they're just meant to be dead by that time, and no medical uses going to help them. Anyway, I'd like to say that it should be split in half to be fair.
Bye!
International aid or defense? Actually, that is a significant question that does not have a stable answer. Spending more on aids or defense depends on the circumstances in every country. Every country is different like some countries use their money to spend on the military defense and others use it to provide other countries with help or aids like with education and healthcare.
If a country is full of wars and terrorist people, it is their right to upgrade their military yet if another country is living peacefully (without tension), it can provide others with support. Consequently, both of them are efficient. For example, in 1994, in Rwanda, there were a lot of conflicts between Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups also there was a civil war between the government forces and Tutsi-led rebels. This led to mass killing (over 800,000 people were killed over 100 days in Rwanda). This war started on April 6, 1994, and stopped in July 1994. (100 days in between). During this duration, Rwanda was spending their money on the military besides countries like USA, European countries and China were providing Rwanda with development, technical support and aids such as food, medical and shelter aids. Rwanda recovered from this war and became supporting other countries with aids specially in Africa.
To conclude, if countries are in a horrible situation, they cannot manage to provide others with aid, but they will work on upgrading their military yet if a country is in peace, it can support others. Therefore, it depends.
What do you think? Does it depend on the circumstances in countries?
Can you cite where you found your evidence?
I think the government should use the money on foreign aid because if we help other people in different places or countries we could form an alliance so if we helped them, they would help us in return when we need it.It could also help in wars as the more allies countries have together, the more people they can trust and rely on for defence.This could also make an impact on people as it would bring everybody together and boost people's morales because when people get what they need, they would feel happy just like we would if we got what we needed.However, if you give a place something they haven't got that they need, they could not have anything too give in return back too the country that gave something, maybe because they don't have enough to give but sometimes those countries may favour your country on international stages.
I think that it depends whether a country spends its money on itself or other countries. I believe that a country with a lot of wealth and power should give to others as they should be sophisticated enough to take care of themselves. However, if the country doesn’t have that power or wealth they should keep the money they earn as they will need it.
Although this could be a good solution I would think that many countries would keep money for themselves due to greed. So another solution could be that they can give a portion of their wealth to other countries as they will be doing a good deed and they get to keep some for themselves. Also, if many countries contribute then it will also bring them together leading to less conflict.
I think that if countries can only pick one or the other it should be helping others as it could lead to countries becoming allies and friends so they won’t want to cause conflict. As well as that, if there is no fighting then countries can spend more on others as they won’t need to spend their wealth on defence.
It is reasonable to question foreign aid for countries that spend more on military power than on the well-being of their people.
Foreign assistance is meant to support development, reduce poverty, and improve living standards. If a government choose to invest heavily in weapons instead of education, healthcare and basic services, it shows misplaced priorities.
When a nation has limited funds but still increases its defense budget while depending on international aid,it creates an unfair situation. In such cases,reducing foreign assistance can encourage governments to redirect their spending toward peace and social development.
I think they are both important because it is essential that a country is able to protect themselves against threats of war. Some of the defence money is also spent helping others when they are in need. For example, the UK sent money and equipment to Ukraine to help them in their war against Russia. Although this is defence money, not aid , it is still helping others.
But it is also important to help others when you can, and when natural disasters happen they need lots of help very quickly so they would not be able to do that alone. Which is why they need other countries around the world to help them, that is when aid money would be important.
I think it is okay to reduce some aid money in the budget as long as there is enough to help others when really needed, for example war, famine, drought and tsumanis.
I think that the countries dosnt have the righ of remove aid of the people that dosnt have any food for example .
Could you elaborate on your point?
Countries give aids for various reasons, including reducing poverty and suffering, promoting economic growth and development, enhancing global stability and security, fostering relations and advancing national and interests. Aid can also be used to address global challenges like climate change, pandemics and inequalities.
Seeing all of these, I would suggest that government spend more on aid because it keeps displaced family members going, gives hopes and also help the victims find their feet.
Defence is important too, but I believe the government could find a balance between building defence and giving out aids to improve people's standards of living.
I think I choose defence over aid. Defence is more important because if defence is given the proper attention, the issue of insecurity presently affecting most countries especially in Africa will be contained. No matter the amount of aid you give a country, without security it will not make any impact. For example in Nigeria, since the issue of insecurity started, there has been a lot of foreign aid that has been received to help the people that have been displaced due to bandits and terrorists attacks. These bandits and terrorists find their ways into the country because of poor defence. Any country that cannot defend its territory, is bound to face serious consequences which include insecurity. So, defense must be given its rightful place rather than neglecting it and concentrate on aid which is needed as a result of crisis and these crisis is a product of poor defence.
I think aid should not be something we should be talking about because it has a negative impact on countries which has made some countries so lazy that they rely solely on foreign aid to survive. Instead of these countries to look inward to see how they can develop their resources for the benefit of their citizens, they neglect these resources because they know they are going to get foreign aid. Aid has done more harm than good, because some of these aid organizations have been accused of sponsoring terrorism in countries. So, I will choose defence over and over again against aid. With defence, you are sure of the safety of your lives and properties.
I think countries should care more about foreign aid than defence, because helping people early can stop bigger problems later. I believe this because when countries are very poor or unsafe, problems like war, hunger and sickness can spread and affect everyone, not just one place.
For example, in Geography we learn that when people don’t have clean water, food, or safe homes, life becomes really hard. Aid can help build schools, hospitals and water pipes. This is happening in places like Palestine, where many children don’t feel safe and struggle to get basic things. Giving aid there doesn’t just help one country; it helps children grow up healthier and more hopeful instead of scared or angry.
If governments only spend money on defence, it’s like putting on armour but ignoring people who are hurt. Defence protects borders, but aid protects lives. Also, if countries fail because they don’t get help, more fighting can start, which means even more money will be spent on defence later. So helping first is actually smarter, not weaker.
I understand why defence is important, because countries want to feel safe. But I think the best safety comes from a world where fewer people are desperate. Helping others can reduce conflict, which means there’s less need for defence in the future.
So I think foreign aid is more important, because when we help other countries stand up, the whole world becomes stronger; not just the richest ones.
I do not believe that countries should offer foreign aid if they cannot sustain it. Of course, things such as sudden wars or economic crashes cannot be predicted but if a country has been providing foreign aid then they shouldn't just let go of their obligation unless there's a very valid reason. Cutting from foreign aid and spending it on the military might seem like a good plan initially but cutting aid from a donor country can lead to sudden inflation and poverty which leads to extremist groups rising which could REALLY cause a national threat (this is exactly what happened with the Treaty of Versailles in World War I). I do not believe any country is obligated to provide aid to another country unless there's an alliance of some sorts or a contract, etc. If the world was perfect, foreign aid wouldn't be needed but the world isn't perfect which means that, unfortunately, some compromises have to be made.
In conclusion, I believe that no country has an obligation to provide aid to another country unless there's a reason and if foreign aid is given then it shouldn't be suddenly cut since that causes more instability and can lead to more national security threats popping up which extend far beyond the reach of simple terrorism or militia groups and devolve into actual armed conflicts.
I think countries should not reduce foreign aid just to spend more on defence because helping people in need is very important. Governments should protect their own country, but they should also support countries that are suffering from war, poverty, or natural disasters.
I believe this because BBC News has reported that foreign aid provides food, clean water, and medical care to people in crisis. Without this help, many families would struggle to survive.
Some people argue that defence should come first because keeping citizens safe is the government’s main job. However, I think there should be a balance. Helping other countries can also create peace and make the world safer in the long term.
I think helping people who are suffering should always come before weapons and defence. There are people all over the world suffering from war and famine, and if governments can help them, then shouldn't they do everything in their power? We should be spending money on aid that could save people, not on weapons that could kill people. Governments need to think more about how their decisions are going to impact people, and show empathy. While they're sitting in office buildings doing paper work, people are dying.
You may think that governments need to spend a lot of money on defence, to help protect people, but do they? Should they? Shouldn't all disagreements be resolved by peaceful debate instead of violence? I know that this is idealistic, and most likely not achievable, but I still think it is what we should aim for.
Also, if governments spend money on technology such as nuclear weapons, then people would be able to kill millions, or even destroy the entire world if they wanted to. No one should have that kind of power.
Governments have limited money, so choosing between defence and foreign aid is challenging. In my view, the right decision depends on a country’s level of security and stability.
Defence spending is important because every nation must protect its citizens and borders. If a country faces real external threats or regional conflict, prioritising defence is reasonable. A government’s first duty is to keep its people safe. However, not all countries face the same dangers. If a country is politically stable, has strong alliances, and is relatively safe from outside threats, it does not need to keep increasing military spending.
Once a country already has a strong and well-developed defence system, extra spending brings fewer benefits. In that situation, investing more in foreign aid makes greater sense. Aid helps improve health, education and infrastructure in poorer nations. Besides, it can prevent crises such as hunger, disease and conflict. By supporting stability abroad, foreign aid can actually reduce global tensions and make the donor country safer in the long term.
Cutting aid completely to fund defence is short-sighted. Military power deals with problems after they appear, while aid helps address the causes of instability. Therefore, countries that are secure should focus more on helping others, while those facing genuine threats may need to spend more on defence.
The best approach is balance. True security comes not only from strong armies, but also from supporting peace and development around the world.
Hello topical Talkers,
I think aid is the most important because it helps people who are poor, hungry or living through disasters or wars. Some countries do not have enough money to give food, clean water, schools or hospitals to their people. I believe this because aid can save lives and give people hope for a better future. As long as there is aid that helps countries work together, There is no need for fights or wars. Defence is also important to protect people but helping others through aid should come first to make the world safer and more peaceful. 🕊️
Thank you for your comments, prodigious_moon - could you say a little more about how having foreign aid means that there is no need for fighting or war?
Thanks for your question!
I think that when countries send aid to help each other, they are building peace and friendship. This is because helping people get what they need to survive keeps things calm so they don't have to fight over the stuff they need to live.
A great example is the Indian Ocean Tsunami on December 26 2004. It was caused by a massive 9.1 magnitude earthquake under the sea. Scientists say it was so powerful that it actually made the whole Earth vibrate and even changed our planet's rotation a tiny bit!!! It hit 14 different countries and Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand were hit the hardest.
When I was reading about this , I felt really amazed. It’s scary to think about the Earth vibrating like that. Here is what everyone helped with...
1. Money: People everywhere donated $14 billion to help families who lost their homes.
2. Military Help: Countries like the United States and Australia sent their big navy ships and planes not to fight but to bring food and clean water to places that were cut off.
3. Building Back: Groups like the Red Cross stayed for years to rebuild over 50 hospitals.
4. Working Together: The United Nations helped everyone stay organized so no one was forgotten.
In my opinion, this shows that aid is a way to turn strangers into friends. It proves that we can use our money and ships to build things up instead of breaking them down.
I think defence comes in because, you have to know how to defend yourself before defending other people, so that you understand the concept of how you will defend other people. I believe this because for example, you do not know how to ride a bike and another person also doesn't know how to ride a bike too and you want to teach that person, it won't make sense, you do not know how to ride a bike and you want to teach another person, so as to defending, if you want to defend and give aid another country, you must have a stable foundation. On contrary I also think giving aid to other countries(Humanitarian Aid) is important because, when a country is facing hardships because of war or anything else, they need immediate attention because an attack can happen anywhere, anytime. You can give aid if you notice your country is not facing any challenges and others are. So I go for both defense and aid because if you are able to balance the amount of money you will use to defend your country and give aid to other countries, there will be no problem at all.
I think both is as important as each other but aid a bit more as you could use defence to be prepared for any upcoming wars or attacks.As people might not attack knowing you have defence and you would win.But investing in aid can also help protect as if you aid another country you can allie and they can help you if in need.Aid would also be help full as if some one got shot they would need medical attention straight away where as buying defence like guns is expensive and will not be used as much a aid would be used; aid could also sae so many peoples lives.
Thanks for reading kind_cheetah.
I think both aid and defense are important because if half of a country is being under attack by another country you will need to help your self before you help others in other countries . If you don't protect your self and your country and you send aid to other countries how would you save your self and your people that is why aid is important . Defense is important too because it helps in stability and it protects your people. It is used to stop domestic and other peoples policies with the force of threats that is why both aid and defense are important.
In my opinion,to give aid is more important than to defend, because when you help another country when they need it , they might help your country when they need it too . Foreign aid can also build diplomatic relationships to help one another.Two country can forget strong diplomatic relations if they didn't help each other during challenging times. So I believe to give aid is better than to defend.
Thank you.
Aid should come first because the lives and welfare of the people in those countries receiving aid are very important. Donor countries should remember what the universal declaration of human right said about the sufferings of people, a pack which they also signed. they should put aside their interest for the greater good of humanity. once the AID has relieved the suffering people then, they can take care of defense.
Hi trustful_eagle - is there an argument that a lack of defence might expose a country and it's people to suffering by not protecting them from outside aggression?
In my opinion, defense comes first because the security and protection of a country is very vital. Without defense, a country may be open to external threats endangering the lives of the citizens, and if anything eventually happens to the citizens, the need for aids will no longer be necessary because the people that make up the country are no longer there, and even if it comes it will not reach its intended aims.
Also, it is the fundamental responsibility of the country to protect the citizens. With great defense, a country will be able to maintain stability and order within its borders because the mind of the people are at rest which is also critical for economic growth, social development, and allows for negotiation from a point of strength.
Although aid is important in a country, it is secondary to the primary goal of putting in security.
I think aid is more important because if someone is in pain they need aid to stay good and stay healthy.I think that defence is helpful because if you need to be safe for a war you can build a defence and stay safe but aid is more important.
I agree because I think that aid is more important than awareness because people who are ill and are suffering need aid because they need help to survive. They don't need to be aware that they are sick, they need food, medications, etc to cure the illnesses. For instance, in the cases of natural disasters or calamities, spreading awareness isn't mandatory in saving people's lives. However, other forms of aid such as medical assistance, food, shelter and care save lives.
I agree because I think that aid is more important than awareness because people who are ill and are suffering need aid because they need help to survive. They don't need to be aware that they are sick, they need food, medications, etc to cure the illnesses. For instance, in the cases of natural disasters or calamities, spreading awareness isn't mandatory in saving people's lives. However, other forms of aid such as medical assistance, food, shelter and care save lives.
I think that some richer governments should help poorer countries with education , food , health and housing because in some countries they are having floods and wars so they won’t really be able to supply/afford thing that will keep them safe and secure. I also think that if a certain country had a war and they were a poor country I would try not to get involved in the war but I would also want to help them with food and education during the war .
I think foreign aid is the most important because if other people are suffering you could save their lives but if say like a earthquake happened in the country you are in then you would want defence to save your life.🌎
Hello inquisitive_donkey - could you explain a little about how you think defence spending could save you from a natural disaster such as an earthquake?
I think defence is important but aid from foreign countries giving aid is more important than defence so I think aid from foreign country’s is more crucial. In addition, the army would be wounded if they haven’t got foreign aid to help and they wouldn’t survive long even with defence. Enemies would overcome there defence forces.
Also, there defence forces will probably go down quickly if the enemy had foreign aid.
Foreign Aid is incredibly important because it supports communities facing instability or communicable disease. When communities are at risk, vital resources can be depleted rapidly, placing a significant burden on governments to provide investment or assistance to their citizens. Mismanagement of funds can lead to numerous adverse outcomes, highlighting the critical role foreign aid plays in safeguarding lives and well-being. Meanwhile, governments with limited money to spend should prioritise defense spending as a robust defense is essential to prevent dire consequences and avoid significant economic repercussions, such as loss of infrastructure. While developing global alliances to assist others is a noble goal, it should not come at the expense of a nation's fundamental security.
I think that people should send aid before defence, it will help them be more prepared for war. For example if a stronger country was attacking, we would have the right to defend ,ourselves and we could cure the people in need.
I think aid is more important because if anyone gets hurt in the world they will have the medical aid that they need. Defence will protect your country but you only are protecting yourself you are not protecting the whole world.
I think aid is not always needed first as if there is a country that is under attack but has the aid to survive it would be better to make defence and a little aid just in case there population growth increases drastically and food water and medicine becomes a problem without the aid they could eat to much and with no food or water. There could be a whole empty country and another big country could expand there territory and have more space to make weapons.
I think aid is more important than defence because if you give aid to countries in need then you will make allies and they will help your countries
I think that countries should spend more money on foreign aid because if they spend money to help others in other countries, those countries that they helped greatly, will then, as a sort of giving back, help defend this country that helped them. I could understand why some people might think that defence should always be put first because you cannot aid people when you can't defend your own country. But, I still believe that aid should always be put first because aiding others (as well as making you feel good) helps you to make 'friends' with other countries, so if there suddenly was a war, you would know that there was always a country that would 'have your back' if you needed support. Also, if your country suddenly needs aid during a hard time, the country you once aided could always give you a helping hand and a 'push' to help you move forward.
Foreign aid should not be reduced to increase defence spending because foreign aid helps stop problems before they become security threats. Problems like poverty, lack of education, poor living conditions, and bad governance can lead to conflict and war. These problems do not stay in one country, they can affect the whole world.
The military is also important because it protects the country from attacks, but it does not solve the root causes of instability. If foreign aid is reduced, social and economic problems will grow. This can lead to wars, terrorism, and a large number of people migrating to other countries. History shows that strong armies alone cannot create peace. Many modern conflicts happen because of the instability and inequality, which aid helps reduce.
Some people argue that governments should take care of their own citizens first, especially during hard times. This is a fair point. However, foreign aid can protect a country's long-term security. By providing food, healthcare, education, and disaster relief, foreign aid prevents crisises froom becoming bigger problems.
Foreign aid also helps build good relationships between countries. When nation ssupport each other during disasters or economic problems, trust and cooperation increase. Therefore, defence and foreign aid should work together. Defence handles immediate dangers, while foreign aid reduces future threats, helping create a safer and more stable world.
I guess it depends which country the aid is coming from, if I was running a less powerful country with fewer resources I would focus on our own defence over financial aid. I do understand that lives are at stake and that anything does help but I think that you should be selfish in this situation.
If a country if relatively well off and doesn't have any major issues or internal crisis financial aid should be the priority, the amount of lives saved would probably be much more significant than the budget increase.
Hi topical talkers, I think defence is most important because you need defence to help other people stay safe because if you're aiding them where's the defence? The enemy could just come in at any moment and take you hostage.I think if you defend first you won’t need to aid as much.I believe this because you won't need to aid if you defend because of cause and effect.The cause is you defending your team or group, therefore less people to aid.This is why I think you shall do defence first,then aid.
Hi daring_hippopotamus - the defence is for one's own country, the aid is to help those of other countries who may have suffered hardship from things such as natural disasters. Does this change your opinion on defence first?
Hello, James
Thank you for making it much clearer for me to understand. With further consideration, yes I in fact believe aid is first now because other countries need aid if they’re in trouble. What if the other side of the world was in great danger while your side is sitting in paradise? You need to give that country the aid it needs. If you do, your country may even gain respect worldwide. Again, thank you James for giving me a bigger perspective.
I think it depends whether you should spend more on aid or defence depending on what is happening in your country. If you are at war you need to spend more money on defending yourself and not on other countries. However, if you are not at war you should help out other countries otherwise they will not help you when you need it most.
I think it is important to spend money on defence too, otherwise you will be in need of more aid when at war as you do not have the facilities to protect your country.
Defense should be first because greedy and selfish Prime Ministers will take aid and defense will help to stop wars and viruses for people. It will save many lives from dying in war and sickness. Defense is guaranteed to make a difference meanwhile aid can go to selfish hearts and rude souls.
Could you say a little more about how you think defence will stop viruses?
I think it is important to give aid money to help help other country because it is the kind thing to do and it helps others. Although countries only have limited money, they should spend some of it on aid. I think they should use some of their money for defence otherwise they will not be able to defend themselves in war. The rest of the money should then be spent on aid, if you help other countries when they need it most then they are more likely to help you out when you need it.
I think countries should be careful about reducing foreign aid to spend more on defence. Defence is important because governments need to keep their people safe, especially if there are real security threats. Without enough defence, a country could be vulnerable to attacks or pressure from other countries.
However, foreign aid is also very important. Aid helps people in poorer or crisis-hit countries get food, healthcare, education, and clean water. Cutting aid can make life much harder for people who already have very little, and it can lead to more poverty and instability in the long run.
Overall, I think it should not be an “either aid or defence” choice. Countries should try to balance both. Spending wisely on defence while still supporting foreign aid can help keep a country safe and also help create a more stable and fair world.
I think that countries shouldn't reduce foreign aid because if they do when they have a flood or a war and need help the other countries won't help them also the other countries will think they're generous,kind and helpful.
Around the world, governments face a difficult decision when allocating limited resources. Defence usually are spending focuses on protecting a nation from external threats, maintaining military strength, and ensuring national security. On the other hand, aid aims to improve living conditions, reduce poverty, respond to humanitarian crises, and promote global stability. For me, both are important, but when the budgets are limited, governments must decide which should come first. Defence is necessary to protect national sovereignty, and aid should be prioritized in most circumstances because it addresses the root causes of insecurity, promote long term stability, and creates a safer world. Honestly, aid refers to financial, technical, and humanitarian assistance that are provided to countries and or communities in need. This includes emergency aid during natural disasters, development aid for education and healthcare. Aid can be given by the governments, international organizations, or non governmental organizations.
personaly if counterys are doneating to other counterys i think we could stop and spend on ourselfs for a bit beacause the other countrerys are still giving aid money so thats a reason but if other counterys wernt if we we goinbg to go to war i would focus on our countery then we we have supposedly won the war we would start donating again
I think that countries should reduce foreign aid because if you're spending on them you will run out of money for yourself and kids. Also you need that money to get you and your kids some food and water. Also it means that if a country went to war we have enough resources to protect and defend our country.
I think aid is most important because it can help us .I believe this because people it can save other countries that need saving. And it can save a lot of people's lives if there is a war going on in their county and if there are people that are hurt they will need a person that can help them. And people would need lots of food and water-aid is not just about sending help it really helps a lot of people that need it. More people every day get really hurt people need aid a lot and people need good helpers so when they are really hurt they can treat them and get lots of help.
I think that defence is most important because if you do not have good you might have more aid . I believe this because the British leaders have cut aid by 0.2% which is not a lot but it could really help a country in need of aid because of war so defence is important.
I think that countries should reduce foreign aid because if you're spending on them you will run out of money for yourself and kids. Also you need that money to get you and your kids some food and water. Also it means that if a country went to war we have enough resources to protect and defend our country.
I think aid is the most important because it helps other countries in need. Also, if you were to go to war, then the other countries are more likely to help you and provide aid as you helped them when they needed it. Aid helps provide food, water, money and medical supplies to help reduce the amount of deaths and help the country out, I think this is very important because it can save other countries as well as your own.
Although it is important to spend money on defence so you can protect yourself against a war, I still think aid is more important as it helps people who are in need now.
I think aid is definitely more important because defence shows violence but aid shows care and respect for other people.Forgetting about aid,education, poor or sick can mean wars and influence people to do bad things and that is why we should be careful and not spend it all on things like defence.Aid help fix these problems and make eveyone care for eveything.Aid could also be used for friendship and that means that people do not have to be brutal or anything and they can just learn to be caring and loving.
I think aid is definitely more important because defence shows violence but aid shows care and respect for other people.Forgetting about aid,education, poor or sick can mean wars and influence people to do bad things and that is why we should be careful and not spend it all on things like defence.Aid help fix these problems and make eveyone care for eveything.Aid could also be used for friendship and that means that people do not have to be brutal or anything and they can just learn to be caring and loving.
I think aid is the most important because it helps other countries in need. Also, if you were to go to war, then the other countries are more likely to help you and provide aid as you helped them when they needed it. Aid helps provide food, water, money and medical supplies to help reduce the amount of deaths and help the country out, I think this is very important because it can save other countries as well as your own.
Although it is important to spend money on defence so you can protect yourself against a war, I still think aid is more important as it helps people who are in need now.
I think financial aid is the most important use of government money because it helps people who really need it and can fix problems that affect their lives and the world.Many countries face hunger, sickness, poverty and disaster and they don't have enough money to handle this problem alone. I believe this because in 2022, financial aid helped give vaccines to over 90 million childrens in developing countries which stopped deadly diseases and saved many lives and also I have seen on news that children had vaccines and where able to go to school for the first time because of financial aid. Financial aid also provide food, clean water, medical help, schools and emergency support which solves urgent problem and help community to get back on their feet faster. When basic needs are met people can go to school, work and live safely which also reduce fights and make countries more stable and I know Defence is important too but spending more money on it doesn't solve problems like hunger or sickness right? people first can stop small problems from becoming big ones and That's why I believe government should focus on financial aid while still keeping enough money for defence, Do you think my opinion is right or not? Thank You!
Aid is more important because someone could be needed when their in danger during a war and they might end up losing their lives and defence is 50 per-sent important because you might not know what's coming at you and it's really important to protect your teammates just inncase they die in any specific danger.
I think that we should not reduce foreign aid because if there was a flood we could send them food,water,medicine,doctors,teachers and shelter and we would send the right things at the right time. They would think we are kind and respectful also they would help,as if we needed help from another country they would help us because we were kind to them.
I think aid should come first because it is important to help others. Also if you are injured you will need aid to then be able to help the rest of your country.
Aid can provide a country in need with water, food, medical supplies and shelter for those in need. This can help save many peoples lives. Also if you help other countries by providing aid then they are more likely to help you when you need it most.
I believe this because of topical talk lessons which gave me evidence .
I think that aid should not be reduced because the country providing aid might need to keep providing if the receiving country struggles by itself .
The country providing the aid might also be able to provide for its own military taking from the taxes, even if the military only
receives a tiny percentage.
I believe some countries may only send aid to benefit them or make their own country look good and stand out to other countries to increase their popularity or how they look in different views of different people.
I believe this because of evidence I have found out in topical talk lessons.
I agree with independent musician as he has fair reasons.
Hi quiet_argument, that's an interesting point! Can you tell us more about what you've learned in Topical Talk lessons or elsewhere that leads you to believe that?
I think that countries could team up but I would recommend to get the Aid first to help the people that are injured then send the defense after to keep them safe after so they might win the war so nobody is hurt anymore. They can now all send Aid when ever they want.
I think that countries should reduce aid because some countries could get dependent on the other countries to help even if the prime minster could steal the cash and not give it to the countries. so I think defense goes first.
Hello rhetorical_mandarin - aid not reaching those who need it is very bad, could you share where you heard of leaders stealing aid?
Aid is very important because it could save a lot of people and many people are in wars. So lots of people need aid at the time. People need food water and helpers so if they ever get hurt. The can get help from people and people need to get food for there family's so if there is no one there to work the people will not get food.
I think foreign aid because if we send aid to another country they would probably help us because we helped them.Also after they all are helped they'll probably send guns,tanks,etc.I know this because Norway is consistently rank highest in foreign aid per Capita,often dedicating 1% of its GNI to aid.Giving aid is better than to try to defend by force.
I think countries should not reduce foreign aid to spend more on things like defence because if one country aids another country when they are down or defenceless, the country that gave the aid could gain an allie, and the allie could help fight in a war to repay the country that helped them.
I think that aid is most important because if your going to defend yourself your going to need aid so you should get aid first so you wont bleed out or get an infection ect. one piece of evidence is"Addressing Global Threat: Foreign aid directly manages threats like pandemic diseases." this supports my claim because how can you defend you and the people you're fighting for when you have a disease that makes you vulnerable and will end up killing you anyway.
I think aids are most important because it's an investment in peace and stability. It leads to fewer conflicts, less poverty and global instability, creating allies and keeping us all safe in the process of it. It could also impact a country's economy. Aid fosters growth through investments and infrastructure, health, and education. This helps build capacity for long term development. However, aid won't always help. Its effectiveness varies, sometimes leading to debt. I think one piece of evidence is Cato.org, which explains how foreign aid has helped develop countries economic growth due to aid, and shows how it had a significant impact.
Foreign aid is an important part of a country's economy, helping to support that country. Therefore, I think governments should consider spending more money on aid.
I think that countries should not decrease aid money given to other countries because they will keep their money to themselves, but if they increase their money and be kind then when they need aid money they might get some money for being kind . If you give money you can be kind and if you need help sometime you can get a reward back .
I think that aid should come much more ahead than defense as it is not just the unharmed that matter in a country, it is aiding to the poor and sick. But, if defensive lines are weakening then there still wont be enough money to aid to the defenseless. Also defense can cost a lot of money regardless of foreign or local places giving them support . Then again,closing borders will maybe attract more conflicts and arguments, resulting in wars.
I think that they should reduce their foreign aid to other countries but keep some of it. For example if their was a war and you are a leader of a country right next to the country in war, then they ask for some resources to help with the battle then you would want to help. However, your country might be invaded next since your country is right next door, so you would need to save some resources incase your country is next to be in war with them.
I don't think that either should be put forward as aid helps you to team and be owed with other countries. However defence makes a difference with wars and other things but the effectiveness of both is great. I feel that it should have an even split when using money. If we aid other countries they will aid back and hopefully there could be a truce and a friendship between countries and therefore giving aid does make a massive difference.
I think that if a government has a budget they could split it in half so for example if you had 500000 you could give 250000 to poorer countries so that it is fair for everyone- so you're still in budget but splitting it up fairly. Because it is your money you could give them 200000 and just make it absolutely fair for everyone and not have judgmental and biased opinions made about your country. Aid can become power and anyone who welcomes aid will take the aid for someone else and AID MUST LAST. This is because if you're giving hundreds of thousand of pounds to a country to support them with aid, then it has to last, it can't just be useful for a couple of weeks, it has to be used responsibly with donor countries and they shouldn't get their aid at random times. They need it at the right times when they're struggling- they don't only need things like food they also need medicine. Of course they need food but everyone thinks it all about food food food, but if they get food poisoning they will need medicine so if you help with aid and help them with your money they will help you in the future when you need it.
I think spending more on defence before giving foreign aid is most important because a country must be safe in order to help others. I believe this because governments must protect their citizens and resources first, especially since rich countries can become targets. Globally, defence spending is over 2 trillion US dollars a year, and many nations spend 2–4% of GDP on defence, showing that security comes before international support.
However, foreign aid is still essential because it helps poorer and unstable countries move towards stability and development. Most developed countries spend under 0.5% of GDP on foreign aid, yet this small amount supports healthcare, education, and development for hundreds of millions of people. Research shows that development aid improves stability and help these countries become reliable partners and allies instead of future threats.
In conclusion, a country must protect itself first, but supporting others also protects the future. True security comes from strong defence and smart foreign aid working together.
I think that not reducing foreign aid is most important because I think it is better to help others in need by sending food, water and shelter instead of sending defence. I believe this because food, water and shelter is more important at first and is needed immediately after a problem and then you send in weapons and defence its not just about sending things its about sending the right things at the right time.
personally I think the money should be split equally between foreign aid and defense as I believe they are both very important things for helping us and other countries
From my point of view, countries should not reduce international aid to spend more on defense. Defense is, without a doubt, very important for protecting a country from potential threats, but I believe that international aid plays a fundamental role in the development of our world, as it can improve living conditions, support the most vulnerable populations, and even reduce poverty.
International aid can also help prevent future conflicts because it aims to improve stability in poorer countries. This shows that international aid is not only a moral duty but also contributes to the security of countries.
In conclusion, I believe that international aid is essential for creating a fairer and safer world. Therefore, governments should maintain a balance between the two areas.
I think they should balance it between when a serious war approaches for example (if a country believes they have a threatening outbreak of a war. They should make it so that the enemy and the person who started defending their country than supplying aid like sustainability infrastructure and essential resources like water food and allergy friendly because sometimes aid is key but in a deadly crisis of maybe bankruptcy or near country extinction country defense should BE ABSOLUTE ALWAYS PRIORITY.
I think that countries should not keep sending aid because some countries can be taking all the aid from people in need like people in war and many more. This is called corruption. However it is not all the countries that do this, but there are many countries that do it. Also, if we give all of our money to other countries then we will have very little left for us- we could go bankrupt or we could not afford to protect and look after our country and our people.
Can you tell me which countries do this?
I think giving to people in need is important because people need money, food and shelter. if we give aid then population may rise. this can be a good thing and a bad thing because the country could get over populated but could also have more farmland to make aid for other countries.
I think countries should keep aid because if you don't have aid you wont have food and clean water . Also if you provide aid the countries think you are kind so you don't have to put up defences because they wont attack you and you can be friends. Then the poor also cant get any food. They should also think about the citizens more than the countries defence .
i think aid because then if you do war fist what is the point if there already almost dead from a sickness
I think countries should not spend all of their money on aid in stead we should spend it on defending all of ur countries to make it safer so we can have a better world and we should spend a bit of money on aid to help the world if something goes wrong all of us can help the country to make a better world so they can stop wars and help everyone in the world to make a better future and stop being rude so we can all work as a team in the world for a better future a world
I think defence should come first because we need to be aware in case another country attacks us but I still think we should give money to the NHS the English National Health Service it’s been running for a long time but I still think defence should come first
I don’t think that countries should just spend money on defence and not care about other people, I think that is just caring for themselves and not care for other people.That means that if a country is in a war, they will have a great chance of not surviving it. That means people would not get any health care even if they have an injury and that is going to cause people to struggle
I don’t think that countries should just spend money on defence and not care about other people, I think that is just caring for themselves and not care for other people.That means that if a country is in a war, they will have a great chance of not surviving it. That means people would not get any health care even if they have an injury and that is going to cause people to struggle
I think aid is more important because aid Is giving countries food ,water and shelter where defence if just fighting with an army while leaving the people who are victims of a war left to starve or get hit by a bomb
Aid also includes defence so it is basically paying for more when you get less. Also the country you are sending the aid to most likely has defence but not food and water . Aid also helps people who are defending the country by giving them shelter food ,water and shelter .aid also helps out the country financially and academically and carry’s on helping them after they win the war ,while defence just helps them while the war then leaves them in a mess
So overall my opinion is they aid is better .while defence is still a fantastic way to help out a country I think aid is better.
I think that aid is a good option because it helps other countries, builds friendships and we will have less war coming to our country, but if we want to defend ourselves, we need to use the money on us and think: do we want to help others and risk our lives, or help ourselves?
I think aid is more important if there is a war going on in another country then you can help by sending paramedics, doctors, food or clothes. Also if the other county try and invade you then hopefully they will have your back and will help you.
Then if you get invaded you will have the defence to protect your country and the help from others.
I think countries should do what they think is best for them, where as smaller countries may do what bigger countries and allied countries do, both matters are very important as aid can obviously help many people with diseases so they can get the support they need, where defences can protect countries from enemy fire and wars.
First of all, aid is very important and influential because aid can save lives and can increase population of countries which can help with climate change as more people can increase global warming and climate change.
I honestly think that aid and defence are both important because it both affects the country at large but of I were to pick I would say defence because if a country can defend it self well it will reduce the amount of casualty in the country and will use less aid. But should not forget about those who are homeless in their country due to war and try to support them in what ever way they can. And with treaties the war can be ended and they can live in peace.
Hi, topical talkers.
Speaking from my point of view, I feel it is necessary to prioritize defense over aid, because if every country has a form of defense, the need for aid will be minimal, as defense protects a nations people, infrastructure and countless others; while aid only responds when damage has already been caused. In conclusion, if defense is placed at the forefront, countries can limit the conditions that create the need for aid in the first place.
Thank you!!!
As a group, we asked the question:
would you rather help those in need or invest into greater weapons?
As a collective we decided on helping those in need because if we were in that position we would want others to help us.
This lead to our discussion resulting in the conclusion that we think that aid is most important, for a variety of reasons. The first one being aid will not just support a country, we are helping the people who live there for example water and houses are necessities that everyone needs and has a human right to receive. If people who live in these countries, that need aid, are not fit, healthy and safe they will struggle to provide a strong and passionate defence for the country. Struggling lives need help, they should be a priority.
If we take the current conflict with Ukraine and Russia as an example, Ukraine are not as strong and powerful as Russia, if they have more support they have a better chance of being on equal terms with Russia, making this a fair fight. We can give them support by providing them with money and supplies.
Hello! I am Illuminated Owl and today I am going to discuss if it is more important defence or giving aids.
Defence is essential in case of wars or attacks and all countries must have it to protect their population. This protection must be the best, with really prepared soldiers and with the best weapons, so that the danger to the citizens is minimum.
However, in many cases, this military aid is provided by other countries during times of war; as well as food, medicines and many other supplies; even doctors or other specialized ones to take care of the people. As well as defence, international aids are very important. This can be seen by countries that, despite living a bad situation ( wars, food shortages, an illness affecting its population...), still send support to other areas.
In my opinion, international aid shows generosity between other countries and helps during the worst situations, giving hope to the inhabitants of the area with basic supplies that make them to live as normal during these moments. From my point of view, international aid is much important than defence, because they can be needed in any moment, not only due to conflicts; and because they help to the local people rather than to the protection of the area. However, this changes depending on the situation. In many cases, international aid is needed for more than during wars, but if there is a conflict, defence is also very important, and in some cases, defence is more required tha international aid, for example, in countries that are near war terrains but that are not in the conflict.
In my opininion defence should became first than aid because for example if we don't have any defence we could suffer a crisis meanwhile we are helping other countries with aid that is the step after you have no any defence.Also I think that part of the aid they give to other countries a part need to be back if you are in any crisis period.It is more important that you invest money in your countries defence than in give aid to countries which these doesn't mean that you don't give aid to other countries but it mean that is better to invest in your countries defence.
From my point of view, countries should not reduce the amount of money that they spend on foreign aid due to the fact that helping each other is the key point of humanity and is a crucial step to achive a peaceful and safe world. Moreover, give a hand to other countries means strengthen bonds and form alliances that if whether long or short term future the country have political or warlike issue those countries will help the nation.
In think it's more important to defend your country than to help other, but this depends on the situation, if your country is wealthy or it can maintain without defending it, then I would prefer for my country to help others, but if my country has received an attack, or it sufffers a big problem, then I would chose defend it over helping others. I believe this because since we were children, the mayority of the people told us to help others, but no one told us to care about us, and now, that I am older I think about it and prefer to be in peace with my self and healthy than help other people who maybe wouldnt want to give me a hand if a was in their situation. So this is my opinion but I understand others views.
I think, helping others in needs is more important than spending more money on defence, because you can stop wars, but you can't stop the lack of food or illnesies because of the unconmfortable conditions such as the poor hygiene or as I have said before because of the lack of food.
So I think the money to provide them food, water, and all the necessities they need is more necessary than spending the money on defence for wars, which is not compulsory to made it.
I think aid is most important because most countries need help or support to help make or build a defence. So I think aid from foreign countries can help bring materials to build and protect the country in need. I believe this because part of defence is materials. What if the country doesn't have what they need to build a defence? Then aid is there to help! With aid, materials, help, and money it helps that country to build and protect themselves. For example, a country can give and offer another country money and the help they need. With aid, that is the start of a defence. It is more important to have what you need to make a defence. Without help, defence takes longer and a lot of money. That is a problem because the enemy has more time to strike. That is why I think aid is more important than defence.
Hi! I think countries should not cut foreign aid just to spend more on defence because both are important in different ways. Defence is needed to keep the country safe, but foreign aid helps make the world more stable by reducing conflicts and helping with disasters.
As much as aid is truly important, I think defence is also important. For example, (According to my topical talk lesson today) UK spending on aid has dropped from 0.5-0.3% to make room for spending for military. I think that it is a fair reason because as much as aid is a good thing because it gets that country's alliance, we also need to protect this country (Mine being the UK), incase we end up in WW3, which is more likely now than a decade ago. Also, some countries the UK give money to have a corrupt government, which instead of spending money to make their economy and people more better and happier, that PM or President is spending it on more selfish things.
In general, I think HIC (High Income Countries) can still spend money on aid, but they would need to be wise on how much that specific country need, and would it be used wisely. They would also need to still save that money on the side for defense and miltary.
No, I don't think countries should reduce foreign aid to spend more on defence because it could bring lots of backlash. First, if a country spent a lot of money on war instead of aiding foreign countries, and it was shown to the public, they would get hate, not only from social media, but global leaders, too! If it causes a conflict, especially with a strong country, it would most likely not end up well for the country that reduced the aid. Also, many countries are in need, so if you reduced foreign aid to a country in need, it would likely be the most selfish and greedy thing ever. You are putting millions of lives at risk by not helping. They could die from sickness, starvation, or living in nasty spaces. Reducing aid to another country could cause the loss of an ally. However, it could be understandable if the country was running out of money to give away. It's not that you can't cut a little money from the aid, it's just that you can't cut too much. You could maybe take away 10-15% of the money, and it would be completely fine. I noticed that during the activities we did, the correct choices were often the ones that were best for your reputation, not saving for yourself. For example, one of the correct options was to continue to support people and countries in war by giving them money as the number 1 answer, and giving them weapons as the number 2 answer. Therefore, countries can reduce funds toward other countries for some defence, but just not too much, and because it would cause a loss of help in future wars, and possibly cause a war.
In my opinion defence and aid are both equally important. Also at the same time I had to choose one I would pick defence.
Defence is what is going to help you if you are in trouble. Also I think you need defence in order to have aid because back when we were at war with Iraq we needed to be able to defend ourselves. Having the resources to use heavy artillery, fighter jets, and firearms, is very important to protect ourselves when we are being threatened by an enemy. But also aid is needed to be able to help a neighboring country when they are in danger. So yeah like I said defence is always first in my book. When it comes to aid, aid is important because it keeps people safe, healthy, and alive. Aid is very good to keep good relationships with allies and neighbors. I had a very delightful time speaking with you all. GoodByeee🥲
Hello all Topical Talkers, I am tenacious_piccolo! I think both aid and defense are important because both are helpful because if people get injured we can help them but also there will still be defense for the country. Although this can also be bad because if they have more defense that keeps getting injured they might not be able to take care of all of them.They could end up like Sweden and Germany because they slashed aid for budgets to focus on Ukraine and defence spending,not like that's bad or anything! They also lowered defense for Europe and South Korea which means they won't have much defense and if they get into a war they might be severely injured. According to the news app New York Times,it says that the US has cut the aid budget in half. This means the other half went to defense which leaves the people in need and the injured will not have as much support as they used to. Also they might die from poor living expenses and being malnourished! This means that most of the population may not thrive. In conclusion,this is why I think none of Aid or Defense should be cut off for one another.
Farwell, fellow Topical Talkers!
I think foreign aid should come before increased defence spending because supporting people in crisis is one of the most important responsibilities a country has. When nations face disaster, conflict, hunger or disease they often cannot recover without outside help. Aid provides food medicine shelter and education and it can prevent small emergencies from turning into long term instability. I believe this because evidence shows that when countries invest in development and humanitarian support they help create safer and more stable regions. That stability reduces the need for military actions and build stronger international relationships. Defence is necessary but it cannot replace the impact of saving lives, reducing suffering and giving communities the chance to rebuild. Prioritising aid shows that a country values human lives beyond its affects everyone. For me helping other is not a weakness: but it's a strategic and moral strength.
I think that aid should and always be put first rather than defence. I say this because aid can help other countries in need and you could get that aid or money back to you. In our topical talks session it stated that, countries will depend on you if they need financial support or any aid. So, we sometimes did not give any aid to other countries. Those people will think that we will not ever help others out and will believe that we are undependable. Then, we need aid, they will not help us because we weren't there when they needed help. If we give them support and aid however they will be there when we need them. However, others might disagree because countries need defence to survive from attacks and threats. But however, when having other countries on your side when you need them they can give you financial help and aid so that you do not need to buy defence with your own money. Instead you can use the money or aid the countries gave you to help build or make your defences. In conclusion, this is why I think aid should always come first rather than defence. I think that aid should and always be put first than defence. I say this because aid can help other countries in need and you could get that aid or money back to you. In our topical talks session it stated that,
I think that foreign aid is more important than defense because living in peace in my opinion is way more better that living in wars . And that's it.
I think Aid is most important because Aid helps you and its gives you a better understanding.
Hi contemplative_river - a better understanding of what?
I basically agree too because, if aid money decreases it might cause more conflicts, and more wars in many places.
I think defense is more important because of it being stronger. With defense it gives you the ability to protect yourself as you get resources. Without defense you are vulnerable while you try to get resources. This means you could be attacked harder than with defense. I know this from," Brookings.edu" where it says that the Venezuelan president was kidnapped when in a vulnerable position after having his country attacked. This shows a case where without defences they are attacked in some way due to being vulnerable. When this happens it can lead to something very bad for the country happening. I can see how others can choose aid instead. Although aid is good and can help someone's side in a war, it isn't as good as defenses are due to the fact that without defenses you can get resources. In conclusion, this is why I believe in defenses over aid.
I think aiding is better than choosing to defend. I believe this, because aiding can make allies rather than making enemies. Defending can make your country lose reputation from defending rather than aiding. Aiding can have many benefits, like making allies, more reputation, no enemies/war, etc. Defending can have many major consequences, such as making less allies, more enemies, and less reputation. Countries will complain about everything for not helping a local country in need. This is why aid is the safest choice, due to people backlashing people for doing nothing. If you aid someone they will help you back instead of making enemies with them. For example France helped the U.S, so later on when they needed help in WW1/WW2 the U.S helped them by providing aid. Defense is kind of useless and money consuming, due to a lot of backlash. Aid can improve countries bonds, but on the other hand Defending can make people look at you selfish.
I think aid is more important than defence because defence is when you only think of your country and ignore the countries in need of help. An example of when countries giving aid is when Ukraine and Russia were in war and America gave billions of dollars to Ukraine to help them. Aid is more important because it helps other countries so they feel safer than when they had no one to help them. But you can only give aid if your country is wealthy because if you gave aid when your country is not wealthy you will be the people needing help. Thank you listening to my comment byeeee 👋
I think countries should not reduce foreign aid to increase defence expenditure.Defence will protect us but,if we spend more money on defence we will go out and fight then a lot of us would get hurt.If a lot of us got hurt, it wouldn't be enough aid for everyone. If it's not a enough aid for everyone some of us would die, then we would go low on soldiers.After we go low on soldiers we would lose the battle, and the country we lose to might take over and try to rule our country.In my opinion aid is more important than defence.Do you agree?
Even though I believe both aid and defence are important, I would have to say aid is more important. The reason I think this is because aid is more helpful for other countries than defence. For example if another country is in war they will need aid for the money to repair the damages and resources for people who might need it. Another example is if a country needs money for restructuring schools and doesn’t have enough they could get aid from other countries to help. Countries that don’t have good healthcare or good educational systems really don’t need defence. They need help with the basics.
In my opinion foreign aid is most important because aid is able to help people that are alive but are really hurt. If the other country needs more help I think our country should give aid to the other country . Even if we spend more on defense what if nothing happens and we could have used some of that money for aid instead of using it on defense. Also when we give aid to other countries when they need it and then we need aid they can maybe give us some since we gave them. In class we had our own country and we were able to decide if we wanted to give aid to other countries. The first time we said no and since we said no we had to move back one. The other groups that did give aid were able to move either 1 step or 2 steps forward.
I believe that the government should pay for defense but still give out aid to foreigners and citizens in need. Once you stop giving out aid, people that live in severe weather conditions need medical attention and nourishment as soon as possible to be sustainable until the weather clears up. Defense is beneficial for Americans because war can harm citizens and the enviornment.
I believe that aid is more important, defense is good, but God has made us to be kind generous human beings so looking after those in desperate need would be the No 1 best thing and then, defense would come in. Since sometimes its not all about you, and you should always look after those less fortunate than you that's the true way God has raised us to be.
''Generosity is love in action - giving where its needed most.''
In my opinion, I'm in the middle because both can be dangerous. First, if we reduce aid and more on defence, the people that get injured in the defence and the injured can't find any aid because there is less aid. On the other hand, if there is more aid and less defence, the defence will be smaller and easier to invade.
Mostly, I agree with my first option although of the consequences conflicts inside of the countries. For instance, the Syrian Civil Wars. People were mad because some children protested with graffiti to the government. This has cause massive tension between people in Syria.
In conclusion, I agree with increasing defence and reducing aid.
I reckon that looking out for other countries rather than your own is crucial , especially when nearby countries are suffering more. As when you give aid and support to a suffering country that's slowly falling apart day by day could earn you assist during difficult times , since then you are gaining a countries trust and respectability which makes them think higher of you and often help you in crucial circumstances. I also believe this since during the 1840s, the Chocotaw nation, despite being themselves in immense pressure and pain, they sent aid to Ireland. Decades later, Ireland has become a great nation, then on a gesture of thankfulness , Ireland organizations have sent and provided aid resources to support Native American communities , including Chocotaw.
What do you think is more crucial during hard times?
I think countries should try to balance defense spending and foreign aid rather than reduce aid too much, because both national security and global stability are important. Governments do have a responsibility to protect their citizens, so defense funding is necessary. However, focusing too heavily on military power alone may not solve the deeper issues that cause conflict in the first place. A balanced approach ensures a country is protected while still contributing to global well-being.
I believe this because foreign aid can play a major role in preventing crises before they escalate. For example, aid that supports food security, healthcare, and education can reduce poverty and political instability in vulnerable regions. This links to topics like conflict prevention and human rights, since improving living conditions can lower the chances of war, forced migration, or extremism. In this way, foreign aid can actually support defense goals indirectly by creating a more peaceful and stable world.
It also connects to economic development and international relations. When countries provide aid, they often build diplomatic trust, stronger alliances and future trade partnerships. These relationships can improve global cooperation on issues like climate change, terrorism and pandemics. While defense protects a nation in the short term, foreign aid can create long-term security by addressing root causes of global problems. For these reasons, reducing aid too much could be harmful, and a balanced investment in both areas is the most responsible approach.
Countries have limited money, so governments must decide how to spend it carefully. Some people believe reducing foreign aid and spending more on defence is necessary to keep the country safe. They argue that without strong security, a nation cannot protect its citizens or remain stable. Defence spending can also help prepare for emergencies and threats.
However, others think cutting foreign aid is not the right choice. Foreign aid helps poorer countries deal with problems such as hunger, disease, and natural disasters. Supporting other nations can create peace, build friendships, and prevent conflicts in the future. In the long term, helping others may actually make the world safer for everyone.
In my opinion, countries should try to balance both needs. Governments must protect their citizens, but they should not ignore people in need around the world. A fair approach is to spend responsibly on defence while still providing meaningful foreign aid. This way, countries can stay safe and also act with compassion.
I think that countries should spend more on aid as this could benefit the country in the future. Alliances are built by supplying aid which mean you could trade,minerals and food with the country. Also if you have a war the country you gave aid to could help you win the war and rebuild the country. Whereas defence could keep you safe for the near future aid could also help millions of people by providing schools and a better standard if living for a brighter future. Overall I think countries should spend on aid because there are more benefits.
I think that countries should not lower the aid given to other countries to spend it on defence. I think this because if the country giving aid is going into war they might recieve aid in exchange from other countries. Another reason giving aid can also help prevent conflicts between world leaders in the first place. For example when a country is under poor living conditions and needs aid and some countries who may have recieved aid from the country in need before don't give aid and this can cause an outrage.
I think that countries should think of defence in international aid because, if a country was to attack the country using aid the supplier of the aid would probably go straight to defence not only to save the country from invasion or getting taken over but to also keep investing in the industry.
I think they should also focus on the health care and defence at the same time to protect their country and keep their citizens safe and healthy
I believe this because if war broke out they would need their citizens to help them protect the country but if they only focus on their defence the citizens would stave and will be to weak to defend their country against the war?
I think they shouldn’t because they shall run out of supplies to hill people and although
they put defences people inside the defence are still suffering
I think that everyone should have an equal amount of aid money because if they dont have a lot of access to medication or defence, then when you need medication they won’t give it to you.
You would make allies with the other countries , get access to more information about the country and others would count you as loyal. It is worth it if you want partnership with others.
You actually changed my opinion on this topic my original stance was that a leader is responsible for their citizens first and this is true but as you said diplomatic relations might actually benefit them more than just defence
Well done for changing your mind based on listening to someone else's perspective, that shows fantastic listening and critical thinking skills.
I think that we should share all our money because if you are running low on aid (medication) other foreign countries can help you and later you can help that same country when they are running low on medication and we can all be a big community working together and helping you up when you are in need all have peaceful world with harmony also we can have allies and be a helping hand whenever needed other country’s will count you as loyal and a brave hero some children are starving and you are satisfying their hunger and making peace
I think that countries should give aid money only if it’s for a good cause because some countries need it like those at war, experiencing floods or lack of food which means they need support/help they need us not to suffer or die we need to act not to be selfish, God teaches us good not bad to help not be selfish but to be selfless.
i think aid should be first because if you're defending you're gonna go to war and fight.you need to use aid to help get you money to rebuild buildings that got destroyed during war or else civilians homes, farms and local area will be gone meaning civilians can not longer live in the destroyed country.
Firstly I think both of these are important because, Aid gives things we need [blankets,food,water, resources,exd] .But defence is also major for it prepares us for attacks while also keeping us safe.But i think giving Aid to places that are not as fortunate may help them rebuild their country back and could furthermore help them in the future.As much as this could be the same with defence, most places aren't really in conflict right now and could most probably borrow or connect with other countries if anything happens.
Thats all please answer if you have any further debates!
I think aid because we need all the help we can get because if we did not have aid then a lot of people will be poorly 😷. People lives will be at risk and this could make people sad because we don’t have all the equipment we need.
I think aid is in first because if you are in a battle and you get hurt you cant heal yourself but with first aid you will heal in a matter of days but with no weapons you would be...quite useless and weak.
I think no because people should stop spending time making defence and more time to helping people that do not have enough money to survive. Defence is for wars that may or may not happen but there are already people in need who need help urgently right now.
I think that ourselves should come first and we should not send aid to other country's because when we need it we cant have it because we gave it to other country's so I think we should not give aid to other country's because it also put's are life's at risk.
I think aid is more important than defence because if people are hurt you can help them and then if you are hurt they will help you back for an example if two country's are fighting against each other and one country got like a serious injury you can give them aid and help them and be kind, respectful and helpful and then they will help you back .
Yesssss!!!!! because I’m not spending my money on other countries when other people in my country might not even have a house. You could spend it on better things like education and food and healthcare workers wages, I think this because they have one of the most important jobs in the whole world and they don’t get paid enough. I think we could put aside 2-4% of our taxes to pay for those things
Yesterday we did the lesson about this topic and I learnt some things like aid to other countries is important but also defence for your country is key to stay safe. But funding other schools, hospitals, and living standards is very important.
when we did the lesson in class we each got a made up country and everyone had different global credits I had a hundred where as others had thirty and forty. We had to make decisions about if we would give global credits to other people who needed it for hospitals, wars, and schools to fund.
Defence, because as I have mentioned in my earlier post, 40-50% of people receiving aid are people that have been affected by warfare, and if we could do something about this, fewer people would need aid. As I have always made mention of (even if I feel it is being overlooked), the kidnappings in Nigeria: young students are being attacked from their schools, and if there was more security, these kidnappings wouldn't have occurred, and we wouldn't be suffering the losses today.
So I believe that defence should have greater funding than aid because 'prevention is better than cure'.
today in school we did the topical talk and yesterday we all got different countries with other classmates and we had to pick what will the countries help with.
We learned about international aid and how to help other countries with a budget.
I think I would go for investing in aid it would help with damages and helping people who are hurt but defence could prevent further damages.
Still I would go with aid.
Willing starfish
I think protecting your country is most important because as much as it's great to help other countries. I believe this because if you are living in a country you should prioritize helping you citizens before you give support to other countries.
i think aid should come first because the place will need help AND then they will get defense .
I think that countries should spend more on defence than on foreign aid to protect themselves.
I think defense is more important although AID is good to help defense is more important. I believe this because what if your in a situation where you need money or food and you've given it away. Defense is a good resource because if you keep your food and water and DON'T give it away then when you in war or something what are you going to do if you have given away your resources then it's a bit harsh but your going to die. If you haven't had food or water for a few days it's going to happen because you haven't eaten or drank in days. But at the same time AID is good because you have given away and if you give away then you might ask for something and get something else back. This is why I'm partly in the middle but leaning towards defense more.
Thank you for your time.
I think they need both to help other countries but defence is needed for the country that might have war is needing protection.
I would pick aid personally I think it is important to help the whole world so we are all equal in the world not one place poor or one part not we should help and take care of each other because we are all-in this together and one person makes a difference please tell me if you feel the same way and if you are in with me please lets make a difference and bring our beautiful world together.
I think that we should build defense because rivalry is picking up between Iran and America some are worried that world war 3 is near . If 3-2% of our tax is going to defend it should also go to the homeless.
I strongly agree with you, defence should come first before aid because excessive reliance on foreign aid often creates a vicious cycle of dependency, holds back local innovation that can lead to political instance.
I think countries should help on giving aid on less fortunate nations because they might be in wars or natural disasters such as quakes and floods.
We need aid first because if the person gets hurt you need to get aid first.For the safety of the person and aid for the people and if you choose to do defence if u get hurt you won’t have the aid to help you when you are in need of help
Hi outspoken_camel - what do think of the opposite argument, that spending on defence might stop you getting hurt?
I think buying aid for others is most important because helping others is more important. I believe this because most countries buy aid for other countries.
Hello, I am enchanted camel.
I think that countries should not decrease the aid given to other countries just to improve defense. This is mostly because, although in my opinion, defense is also crucial to win a war and to help local people, I think that aid is more important because it is not just about defending the country, but also about protecting the people, give them food, money and a place where they can rest and be confortable.
Regardless of being in a war, from my perspective, children should have a cozy and warm bed, as well as something to eat and continue being educated.
I believe that self defense is more important than little things which can be forgotten, but in times of crisis, war and suffering, the most crucial thing, in my opinion, is that everyone can have energy enough to fight in the war, and if there is not food enough for everyone, this wouldn't be possible.
I think defence is more important because when a country is under threat who really can help more than there military and defences. Furthermore, it causes economic disruption because of the influxes of many goods like seen in Africa which can destroy local industries.
Defence is important because when a country is under attack because the only way to stop the external or eternal attacks is by having a good defence. So if countries want to stay safe they should focus on defence. If countries keep looking to the future what are they going to do to keep the country safe for now?
The right thing to do is to use foreign aid because the government need to help other countries and people that in need instead of fighting other countries and people . Also why does the government want to go fight other countries , it just going to hurt the United States because if the United States fight other countries , the countries is going to fight back and it will hurt the United States .
I think you should try to balance both equally because defence is very important it keeps you safe. However, aid is equally important because aid is like a transfer of things like resources, food, shelter, and services etc. One example of defence, if a war happens and you have to defend yourself you won't just let them do what they want to do to you you would want to defend yourself and be safe. On the other hand, foreign aid can help too. An example is, seeing someone that is homeless or poor it might make you feel some type of way and you might want to feel generous. Also, most of the time when you do people a favor or if you are nice to them then they may return you a favor. In conclusion I think both defence and foreign aid need to be balanced.
I think spending more on things like defence because spending more on things like defence will actually make a difference. I believe this because defence is more important than foreign aid and you might not know what is in the foreign aid that they get, but when you defend yourself, you will be protected and at the same time fight for others. One example is that people in the army will make sure to have defence so that when it is time to defend themselves, they have defence mechanisms. If you have foreign aid, you will be spending your money on something that is unnecessary and that you might not even need.
I think that defence should be prioritized, as a country that cannot defend itself will not be able to send any form of aid in the future if it falls in a conflict. However I don't think that there should be a complete cut of funding to aid programs, as it is important, both from a ethical but also from a political point of view. While I can definitely understand the ethical side, I believe in most of the times where a country is in desperate need for aid there is a) no benefit as it's unlikely that it'll develop into a bigger country. This could be made even worse if the country is suffering from a authoritarian regime or terrorist organization which is highly likely to steal the aid for their own benefit.
In my opinion I think spending more on defence is the most important because when countries have defence it will protect them from other countries and keep them safe during war.I believe this because when war happens if a country doesn't have good enough defence it could cause any type of attack from the war people in the country if they are close enough to the war spot they could get hurt or worse killed which can cause more problems the war already is causing. Also if a country doesn't have enough defence they could lose the war and get evaded by the other country.
I hear your argument grateful_rock, what do you think of the comment that a stronger country should help protect its friends and neighbours if they can't afford to?
I think that countries should not reduce foreign aid just to spend more on defence because tro security actually begins with stability, trust, and humanity. I strongly believe that history shows that helping other nations in times of crisis built strong Global relationship while,focusing only on a single defence create fear and tension instead of peace.
I always remember that times when other countries stood behind us, helped us and supported India during our poorest situations.For example in the 2004 Tsunami, we had got an immense aid that made our population stand strong and our country will always feel grateful for them.
So, International aid shows as the value of a helping hand.
Defence is very crucial and every country has the right to protect their people, but if all the money goes only to army and weapons? what happens to the diplomacy,development and, disaster relief?
I believe that spending money in defence is just about investment, but giving aid is about winning people's heart!
Why countries should reduce foreign aid, for instance, a country that is dependant on external assistance will decrease it's chances of becoming self-reliant. Further more, the situation can worsen if aid is poorly managed leading to corruption and high level of inequality.
- Why countries need to spend more on defence is that the country will be able to deliver the stability that underpins economy growth and will unlock prosperity through new jobs skills and opportunities across the country.
I believe decreasing foreign aid value to focus on defence should not even be thought of and here is why:
On one hand, governments could then focus their money on their own people, which might be why they wanted to be a part of their government in the first place, to help their own community, their own people and their own country. They would be able to upgrade security measures and ensure they can protect themselves when a new threat arises. Governments do have a duty to keep their people safe and thriving after all, especially in a world where tension between nations are extremely high. Problems arise when they cannot protect themselves from a threat because of the expense of international aid they pay, increasing global inequality and resentment.
On the other hand, history has revealed again and again that power and military might alone are never going to be sufficient to ensure lasting peace and harmony. Many wars today are triggered by social and economic instability in several regions, which international aid directly prevents. Foreign aid can also be a bridge between two nations, forming a diplomatic relationship and friendship if those two countries helped each other in times of struggle and even further ensuring peace and happiness. It can act as a long-term defence without the need for weapons or violence.
In conclusion, defence ensures a nation's safety from current threats, but foreign aid directly prevents the formation of initial problems that evolve into defence concerns in the future.
I personally think that spending money for aid in foreign countries is more important. Helping others countries is essential and is even more crucial if they are in needs of help or in a bad situation, or also in the extreme case if there is a war in that country. In my opinion spending money on defence is also a key point to have and to be a good country , after all you need to protect your citizens. However I think that giving aid to others countries is a vital thing to do if you want to help other people and if you want your country to be better or to be more respected and appreciated by other countries and by the population. Besides, helping other people when you can is something very valuable that not all countries do, either because they only focus on themselves or because they are very ambitious. We are all living in the same world , if we don’t help each other , who will? These are the reason why I believe that providing aid is better than defence.
Foreign aid should be discouraged because it increases debt burden and they production cost. It can make countries dependant on donors and interfere in their affairs.
Beyond Physical security, defence forces contributes significantly to national stability, growth, and well being. Looking at safe trade routes, secure energy supplies and the protection and critical infrastructures are all managed by defence tool.
Hello everyone!
I consider confidently that you shouldn't lower all of your money on aid just for defense. I think this because according to my research, in the Vietnam war, North Vietnam got aid by China and the Soviet Region, while South Vietnam got help from the US and other anti-communist allies. Because of it's aid from it's allies, North Vietnam won.
Arguably, you do need defense procedures in place for if your country unexpectedly goes into war pressure. Defense helps massively for if powerful (or weaker) countries declare war.
In conclusion, I think that aid > defense.
I disagree on this because aid is an important part of civilian lives, and decreasing aid funding for better defence expenditure can endanger families that rely on international aid.
Ghana is an example on how aid can help families around the world. In Ghana donations have been a vital part of strengthening support for parents of preterm babies. With funding they have been able to provide many different ways of support such as, counseling, parent coaching, community awareness sessions, and connect families with proper neonatal care. Sustained funding is needed to ensure programs continue long enough to truly change outcomes.
An example of negative effects of cutting aid is the UK. The UK had decided to reduce aid spending so they could increase their defence budget. These changes resulted in short term consequences for the countries that receive aid, if there's less money for programs that provide healthcare and education many children can go on uneducated, or have a lack of the needed education to be successful, and a lack of healthcare can lead to many more deaths. This reduction in aid spending put many lives at risk, including UK citizens or countries and people who rely on international aid.
This is my opinion on why aid funding should not be decreased, because overall it can lead to deathly side effects and in some cases even poverty.
I think defense would be better because we would be prepared for any attack that comes. However, we would need aid for rebuilding after the attack. So, if we spend more on defense, someday, we would need money. We wouldn't have money to do so.
This response is great, but can you explain more about why you think defense would be better?
I think that they should keep providing aid but not only spend their money on it. Countries should do both but only help when other countries need it. For example, if you give aid to a country who doesn't need it, you could've spent that money on military defence. Countries like Singapore, Qatar, Ireland and many more don't need aid but don't mind if they get it, so they could focus more on defence. They could also help less fortunate countries like Mawali, Yemen, and Madagascar. They would gain respect, and it would help their reputation.
However, I can see why people disagree with me because poor countries should focus more on building their defence and their country. For example, if a poor country gives aid to another country, money and resources would become very scarce, so that would make no sense.
I understand your argument attentive_lemon, how can countries be sure that they are sending their aid to those less fortunate, how might they judge this?
From my viewpoint, defense is most important and should come first in many situations. I believe this for many reasons.
Firstly, defense doesn’t have to mean defending only your own country. You can fight for another nation without directly supplying them with weapons, artillery, and soldiers. This isn’t technically aid. Foreign aid can directly support them, but you can raise defenses for both yourself and the neighboring country without spending supplies you can use to support them.
Secondly, defense can randomly take up more supplies than you can give to the receiving country, stopping the flow of aid and causing problems such as shortages, lack of supplies, and more. This is especially true when taking the first piece of evidence into account. It is easier to defend your own country (and the foreign nation) than to give a flow of supplies to the receiver. It’s also worth noting that just as easily you can send aid out, an enemy can stop the flow of supplies or destroy them.
Thirdly, if you have enough aid to send out constantly, you almost certainly have enough supplies to defeat the nation that is at war with your country. I feel that there is almost no reason to send aid in a war when it causes problems and further complicates the situation at hand.
In all, I think that defense is more important than sharing aid because defense is much more useful.
In my opinion, I don’t think countries should spend more money on defence or making other countries use defence. They should think more about aid. Countries that don't have a lot of money need aid to fund the food, the clean water, the roads, and the houses. If the people that help to give the countries needing aid stop helping them to defend themselves or to make other countries defend themselves then the poor countries will get worse. The people in it will have to move so they can get help and can get food. Also, if you help out, you’ll get a lot of respect from other countries.
Defence is good when it's needed but helping countries is too. And this is why I think countries should pay more attention to aids than defence unless it's needed.
in my opinion they can do both. In a war, the military needs stuff like guns, tanks, and plans to fight back and to protect the country. First aid is very important if a soldier is injured or loses a limb. It is so important that there is an entire team on the battlefield. Protection is important, too. It is important that you help the country. You risk your life to save thousands of people, even your own family. Aid is important because you can help the soldiers get back to there family. So, in my opinion that is whey the military AND aid are important.
I think aid should come first.I think this is because if a country is at war and it's an unfair advantage then another country could help the weaker country. That would be effective. Then that country can get respect from other countries, and other countries could donate to the country that helped the weaker country. J not to the point that it turns to dependency. But if it's unsustainable then it wouldn't really be helpful for the country and also no country should corrupt other countries.
I understand your point polite_fig - what ways can you think of for the donating country to be sure that the recipient of their aid is not becoming too dependant?
I think that aid should be given first, but defense shortly after for a minimal risk. Small countries' poor education and funding should be helped. Negative emotions from the children can slowly (and quietly) turn into a riot, just because they weren't properly educated.
Being careless and forgetting about the poor, not getting enough food, living in unstable conditions can cause one another to fight and eventually create a war or merge wars and wreak havoc. Setting a goal to aid first can have emotional changes, because some people think the government should treat them fairly, and they won't change their decision.
Conflicts and wars are mostly caused because of cash, resources, and things like that-- such as getting scammed, robbed, and all sorts of things like that. Countries shouldn't protect their present stability, but also their future stability too.
What ideas do you have about how a country can protect their future?
I think that we should not reduce foreign aid money because there are some kids and adults that need other essentials. I believe this because, for example, people in other countries could be experiencing some bad things and could need all the aid they can get. Another example is because if we reduce foreign aid, other kids and adults could have some severe problems like losses of peoples houses because of floods or starvation. Others may disagree with me because they might think that they need aid for the war since war is going on in their country, but what they don't know, is that there are other people that don't have everything they need during the war.
From my point of view, that its more important to spend money giving aid to citizens that to defend themselfs from other countries, and there are several reasons because of this. Firstly, if the government spends money giving aid to other people, this people could help the country and defend if without spending money in any type of defense. This is because as there is more people in good conditins, this people could join the army to protect the country. However, if you spend more money in defence, in the beggining, everything will work as good as planed but in a few time, this defence would be broken and this will be a waste of money. In my opinion, I think that is better to spend more money in aid than in defence but its also important to don´t forget about defenses, as the help to prevent the country from being attacked.
I think this is a very difficult choice for any country to make on one hand defence is important to keep people safe and protect the country however I believe that foreign aid is also a way to create peace by helping other countries with food healthy and education we can prevent problems before they start instead reducing aid to spend more on weapons I think countries should try to find the balance helping others makes the world a kinder place and when our neighbor are doing well the whole world is safer helping people in need should always be priority.
Hello everybody, in my opinion, Aid is more important than defence and I will explain why. When we help others it can beneficiate others and even the country in the future, with this, we can impruve our defence and other topics. Besides, helping others can help our country in different ways and one is improvement in important topics such as politics. In fact, every country has their own thoughts so it can lead to join with others to learn new things and see others opinions. In other to defence, its also really important to give money and increase it because is the security of a region. Although, aid prevents the principal problems taht become defence concers later on.
I disagree with your statement because an aid is only useful when something already occurs and should happen if you have a group to defend your country.
I think aid is more important because you are helping others, and really changing others' live to the better. I believe this because I think that's the way we should think, but in the real world it seems like the answer is much different because many give more importance to personal benefits instead of global help.
However, it's true that spending in defense was the way to change our world because thanks to it revolutionary technologies like the Internet were created. But the truth is that in the end the reasons why countries have to spend money on defense are quite sad, although in the end they are the reality.
In conclusion, as humans we should try to help others as much as possible but always having in mind how this can be negative to us if we aren't investing enough in defence. Besides, we have to have in mind others' wellness but also reality.
I believe that aid to other countries is a smarter choice, because this can make potential allies. I think so because in 1948, the US helped rebuild Europe after World War II, and then Europe became an ally and trading partner of the US. Helping other countries give them a reason to help them, and this can spark an alliance. Helping other countries can also improve a reputation, and countries that provide aid are always seen as reliable, which also builds trust and others are more willing to work with them. However, since this wouldn't always be the case since some countries may have their own interests and make differenct choices, I believe that it's smarter to also spend money on defence. This ensures safety in situations, where vulnerability can be taken accounted of. So while foreign aid can help not only the country that recieves the aid, but the country who provides it, it's still smart to keep a strong and tight defence to be airtight and secure.
In my opinion, countries should not simply reduce foreign aid to increase defence budgets. Both are important, but this is not the right approach. I believe the decision about which should be prioritised depends greatly on a country’s economic condition and overall situation. If a country already has strong and stable defence, it is not necessary to keep increasing military spending, and it should instead focus on helping other nations through foreign aid. There is also a moral argument that wealthier nations have far more resources than developing countries and therefore have a responsibility to assist those in need.
However, if a country is facing serious external threats or is struggling with its own security, then prioritising defence is understandable and necessary. Many people believe that richer governments have a duty to support poorer nations. Cutting aid completely to spend more on weapons and armies can seem selfish, especially when millions of people around the world depend on that support to survive. Spending on defence is important, but it should not come at the cost of abandoning humanitarian obligations. The right approach is to spend wisely on security while still contributing to global development and relief. A safer world is created not only through stronger defence, but also through solidarity and empathy.
Hello,
I strongly agree with you as both of them are important and fundamental so it depends on the economic condition of the country.
Some countries don't have enough money to provide aid and at the same time, they need to spend on defense. So, in this case, defense is fundamental because all countries are at risk of wars all the time; no one knows, so they have to be ready for any sudden action. Also, the global power. Military strength gives a country an influence in internation politics. Defense is like the peel of a fruit. A fruit will be spoiled much faster if it has no support.
However, I argue with myself as aid is also important. It supports poor countries with food, medicine, and education. It helps to create long-term stability. By reducing poverty, future issues MAY be prevented. It increases cooperation and makes countries connected.
I think countries should not reduce foreign aid to spend more on defence because preventing global problems is more effective than dealing with them later. I believe this because many security threats begin as social and economic issues, such as poverty, lack of education, poor healthcare, and unstable governments. When these problems are ignored, they often grow into conflicts, refugee crises, or even terrorism, which then affect many countries, not just one.
Foreign aid helps address the root causes of instability by supporting education, healthcare systems, disaster relief, and economic development. For example, investing in healthcare and disease prevention in poorer countries can stop outbreaks from spreading internationally, something that military power alone cannot achieve. Similarly, education and job creation reduce the likelihood of young people being drawn into violence or extremist groups.
While defence spending is important to protect a country from immediate threats, relying too heavily on it is short-sighted. Military action usually responds to problems after they have already become serious, whereas foreign aid works to stop those problems from developing in the first place. In the long term, reducing foreign aid may save money initially but could lead to greater instability and higher defence costs in the future.
Therefore, foreign aid should be seen as an investment in global security, not a weakness, as helping others ultimately helps protect everyone.
I don’t think that you should stop sending aid to foreign countries and instead spend your money on defence because over country’s line of defence might be damaged so the over country will take over and go for the next country and the only reason is because that had foreign aid. If the over country had foreign aid they could have won the war and kept there country safe .
In my opinion, giving aid to another country is more important than defence. Usually, when you help other contries when they need it, they will suport you when you need help.
If you aid a country you will ally with them so you'll be more powerful. For example, two countries can form strong relationships if they helped each other during challenging times.
We have seen this recently when America helped Ukraine in its war with Russia by giving them munitions so, now, they have strong alliances.
I think countries should not reduce foreign aid to spend more on defence. Foreign aid is more important because global stability depends on cooperation, not only military strength. Countries that receive aid often become more stable, this reduces conflicts, migration crises, and regional violence in the long term.
Firstly, defence is important because governments must protect their citizens. Some politicians may argue that wars and rising political tensions mean countries should prioritise military funding. I partly agree with this view, since a strong defence can deter attacks and keep nations safe. However, security is not achieved through weapons alone.
Secondly, foreign aid plays a key role in preventing global problems. Aid helps poorer countries develop education, healthcare, and infrastructure. When people have better living conditions, conflicts are less likely to start. This shows that aid can improve security indirectly. Evidence of this can be seen in international development programs that reduce poverty and increase political stability.
Finally, I disagree with the idea that foreign aid is a waste of money. While corruption can sometimes affect how aid is used, better monitoring aid and not cutting aid is the solution. In addition, foreign aid strengthens diplomacy and builds alliances, which are also important for national security.
In conclusion, I believe countries should maintain a balance but not reduce foreign aid significantly. Defence protects nations in the short term, while foreign aid helps create a safer and more stable world in the long term.
In my opinion, aid and defence are at the same level of importantce. Even if a country theatens to invade another country for sending aid, the allience that has already been created could be used as protection (like when Russia threatened the UK over the aid given to Ukraine). On the other hand, defence is an important part of a country, but in modern times, there are a lot of alliances that can help your country in times of struggle.
Alliances also make nations send aid if a country from that alliance gets attacked.
Aid isnt only military though, it is also financial, medical ect. If a nation has very bad standards of education or they need financial aid, most countrys that have good relations with that nation will send the aid needed but, the nation getting aid still has to pay back everything that they recieved. And, if your country gives aid, its reputaion will improve and it will be more likely to get aid if needed in the future. If your country sends aid, they can also boost their economy (like when the US sent their own munitions to aid Ukrain).
Defence has also an important role in not getting invaded. If you have a strong defence, then you will be less likely to be invaded. Other countries are less likely to invade if they believe you have a strong millitary which would be able to defeat them in combat.
In conclusion aid and defence pair very well together. It is not a question of defence vs aid because often times, giving aid can be a countries greatest defence.
Your response was very well written.I like how you used evidence to support your claim.
I think more money should be spent on aid rather than defence. Because you can make your country look good like when America helped Ukraine in their war against Russia. International Aid doesn’t have to be a one way street where only rich countries help poor countries, international assistance to the US after Hurricane Katrina proved that any country is able to give and receive aid . This can create great alliances with other countries that help you in need. So although a strong military can result in invasions and attacks being less likely, I believe that giving international aid veni fits the world as a while and not just individual countries.
The world is more dangerous today than anytime since the cold war. There is the war between Russia and Ukraine, the tensions in the Indo- Pacific region and the instability in the Middle East demand that Britain and the world at large steps up. Countries need to have a strong military in case of any danger that attacks the country, but cutting aid it's a error that risks making us weaker,not stronger. International aid creates alliances and goodwill. If we are going to have a war, because of the alliances we created with other countries, we will have a higher chance of winning. Aid can also boost our own economy like when the US gave their own munitions as aid to Ukraine. So in my opinion , I think aid should be first priority to a country.
I think the aid is more important than defense because giving help to others might help you in the future. With aid countries can be protected and make a big step to the world peace. The countries that choose aid over defense have more allies, so is more protected than before. I understand that if aid is given, there will be a possibility for financial problems for the country that helped. But, the most important is to have minimum human loses, so the aid must be prioritized over defense!
In my opinion it is really important to focus on our defense. Every country wants the best for them , so even if there is a sympathy between two countries it is because it serves both countries interests. You can not completely rely to someone else because the interests change really fast especially the financial ones. From the other side, having a friendly ''neighbor'' that can help you at a difficult time is a must to survive today. So to sum up, having friendly relationships is a must but! Relying only from others is a costly mistake.
i think countries should reduce defence to spend more on foreign aid because it allows voluntary transfer of resources, including money, goods, and services, from one country to another which could give more money for defence.
I disagree with reducing foreign aid and developing defence , aid is an assistance given in money, food or in military supports which creates a friendly relationship with the countries so when you give aid for other countries then you are creating and ecosystem where other countries intend to help you instead of fighting with you so I forcefully say that so I forcefully say that raising foreign aid is a better option but that should be an I on defence who knows what can happen in future.
Imagine you as a president of a big, strong nation in the European continent, then an ally gets attacked, and the country is struggling. You have a choice. What's first, aid or defence? You start pondering and pacing in your office. The choice is hard, if you choose aid, then the country would be overrun. If you choose defence, millions of people would starve and die. Each choice has its pros and cons, but you need to decide which is more beneficial. This is why I believe that aiding first is the best and first option for helping.
To start, aid is very important as millions of people could be starving, and many supplies are needed. Wars are very violent and cost an immense amount of money, so with the economy going up, people would not be able to afford food and would start to starve. This is when aid comes into play. Aid will help those in need who need to survive. This is very good, as not only are you helping the civilians, you are keeping the army fed and the country afloat, and not collapsing.
Additionally, during our lesson today, we were presented with three choices with the situation being war. We chose to stay neutral. As to our thoughts, aiding a country but leaving the other might anger them and cause some chaos in our nation. This is the reason we chose neutrality over aiding, as we thought it would be the best decision of all of them.
In conclusion, the question “What first? aid or defence?” My answer would be aid first over defence for helping.
I think aid should be first because if people don’t get aid especially the people who are fighting then they have a chance of getting killed.If you put defence first then they won’t get the aid they need then they will not get healed which means that can’t go on and fight.Aid is really important because they need food and water to survive and also bandages so if they get get injured they can be healed.Therefore i think aid is more important then defence so they can survive.
I’m in the middle because if there’s more aid it will be easy to invade . Also if there’s more defence it will be protected but if they do get in and they bomb a house then there will be less aid to help the homeless people.
I think 🤔 if we give aid to countries in need than people could be liked 👍🏻 more than others.But if we don’t we may not be liked as much as we would like to be liked by other people in the world 🌎.
And people are forgetting about people who are having so much aid that it’s only going to other things not homes,there not giving it to schools, hospitals or anyone who needs it more.aid can also help but then not help because people who don’t like that country could see that their getting aid and cause a war between them
Countries should reduce foreign aid to help the other countries because they have the most money to save themselves and they don’t need the government to help them out in their country because they have a huge army .
Yes because we should not encourage war. However, if you are being attacked you should be able to defend yourself. The more wars the more damage.
In my opinion, I think that defence should come first because if you put aid first then there’s not going to be anyone to save if there were no fights.if there was a war (defence first) and someone got injured then there would be medics (aid) to help. Also if you put aid first then there would probably be nothing left to save others after the war.if the medic goes out to save a pupil during war then the medic might also get hurt and there is a chance that there will be no other people around to save the aid person.if a person gets hurt then the medic could call backup so they can drag the injured pupil to a safer area to then try and help them so they can survive and go back to fight for their country.
i think AID should not decrease because if AID decreases countries will have less and then there is a possibility that wars between two countries could start. but sadly some people see the bad side of it and think that only there country deserves to have a good environment. AID is important to all countries big, small, rich, poor. poor countries need it because they tend to not be able to look after there country as well as others which is ok but it just means they are less fortunate. AID is also important to rich countries because they can help other poor countries by giving AID. this means all countries can live a better life the way God intended it to be.
I’m on both sides because if defence comes first then the attack would not impact people that much and the amount of aid that needs to be given would be very little
I think that if the country knows that the war is coming then aid should come first. If the people have aid first then they will have a 50 50 chances of survival. When countries don’t know war is coming , I am in the middle because if they give aid first they will loose the fight. But if they give defence people might die. And also if defence is first the soldiers won’t have aid.
In my opinion I think we should not stop given support. Most countries we’ve learned about are usually countries that are developing.Forgetting those countries who need our help could leave them in bad conditions like starvation,poor education and government problems could potentially cause war or at least leave them and their country in bad shape.
Some people are having to be part of war if we leave them without equipment there most likely to perish.Also if we are a nation who support we should not start war we should help by giving them what they need.Some kids might not even be able to go to school or some people might not even be able to afford something so simple.
I think that countries should not reduce foreign aid just to increase defence variety. Defence does make your area safe and secure, but reducing aid can cause backlash and later concerns.
Reducing aid from poor matters can cause others downfall in your name. That means, when you are in need to receive aid, it will be harder as u have became cruel to others. This can also cause conflict and affect many countries in the globe. Many countries rely on basic needs as they cant provide for themselves, and taking away that need can cause problems with other countries. This also means that when they get back on their feet they are able to fight back and cause serious problems.
Even though they have spent that money on defence, people can surpass their defences and using aid can make theirs stronger. This will affect your country and economy, which will cause you to go under and loose your fund and income. You may feel like you have ruined a country and their gone, but later on they will return and you will be a clear target for them. History has already revealed multiple times that power and military arent enough to protect your area and country. Aid prevents wars triggered by social and economic instability, so this immediately blocks this.
Foreign aid can also be used to build relationships between countries, which means you can forge protection and safety. That means, you can help each other during challenging times and disasters.
Ultimately, aid is much more important then defence. Defence may respond quickly, but foreign aid should always come first.
I think I am in the middle because if we give less aid people might not have enough tools to fight in a war but aid costs are high and we might not have enough money to cover it
I personally think countries that need to defend themselves shouldn’t decrease there money given to others because if there in war , just been through war or need to give food/water to there people they shouldn’t just give all there money away to a different country. The other country could sped in something bad like using the money to give to a charity even though that’s good they might need to spend it on building back up there buildings or using it to buy food and water and give it to there people.
I think countries with bad defence shouldn’t give it to other countries if they have other countries on there side or are really powerful like America. But countries that aren’t as powerful should keep there money and build up there defence.
I think countries should not reduce foreign aid just to spend more on defence because helping others can actually make the world safer in the long term. Security is not only about having a strong army; it is also about reducing poverty, hunger, and conflict. When countries provide aid for education, healthcare, and food, they help prevent instability that can lead to war or migration crises.
I believe this because reports from the United Nations show that poverty and inequality are often linked to violence and unrest. Supporting development can reduce these risks. Some people argue that defence must come first to protect citizens. While protection is important, cutting foreign aid too much could create bigger global problems later. Governments should try to balance both, not choose one over the other.
Aid should be first because if you defend, you run the risk of injuring yourself and you might not be able to make it back. Although if you get aid first you will get all repaired and ready for the next attack. If you are not ready to go you will give a disadvantage to your team .
I think that countries should not decrease aid money given to other countries just to increase defence expenditure. defence is alot more important than aid giving to other countries.
Forgetting about poor standards of living, poor levels of education, and poor government might cause wars to emerge and affect all countries in the globe regardless of their location.
those who want to explore defending there countries are allowed to explore that option and countries that have goverment that thhinks aid giving is more important than protecting there own people can do that there is nothing stopping them.
lets think about war, if a world war broke loose your countries would want to win so you need tot be stronger than allies.
to stop a war from braking loose aid giving could stop that so you can become alot more like friends and stop war breaking out
overall in my opinion if i was a goverment is to focus on protecting my country than protecting over countries thanks for letting me have my say thanks
i think that both are important. You need defence incase a war starts and your country is attacked. I also think that people need aid in case an emergency because they might not have the money for the stuff the need like food and water or equiptment.
I think defence is most important because if I could take the chances of aid I'd help people in need but we will be complete defenceless but chose defence to fight in the war to help for our allies.I believe this because its like the paraguayan war (1864-1870).
I think the government should focus more on Aid than Defense.
If we focus more on defense then how will anybody in Foreign Countries have enough Aid to live good lives and have goods and services? Exactly,they can’t have goods and services without aid to provide the money needed..
In conclusion, aid matters more than defense.
I think we should help countries like Ukrainian and send weapons to them to defend against Russia and not ask for money in return even though we are spending billions of pounds to get weapons for them but also people are getting sick in some countries because doctors are going to get higher paying jobs in countries like the USA, UK and Australia this could make a big difference for them as they won’t have healthcare but we can help them because we have the NHS also known as the National Health Service and we can send them national aid we can send them money for medicine and to rebuild hospitals and also to get a better military.
I think governments should spend 62.5% of the money on themselves and 47.5% on other countries because if you have a limited
budget then you probably need to stock up for now and future financial difficulties
I think that they should not decrease the amount of aid they give to other countries, because if you give aid to poorer or richer countries it won’t give you a need to spend money on defence. If you don’t spend money on aid for other countries then it will start a fight between them. Even if you save money on defence, countries with allies will work together and start fighting against your country, and you won’t have enough money for defence anyways, as no one will want to help you and you will be on your own.
I think aid is very important for people to understand that the government has a responsibility to make it better to do things for themselves in order for the government and to do them well in order for the country as a society and the government is not just the people are not just a group but also the government is the only thing we need for our own lives to live in a free and democratic country.
Most countries need aid or defence but I think countries should get what I think they need. Defences are important as they need defence from bigger countries who might attack them or start a conflict where many people could get harmed.
i think defence and aid is equally important because aid could help during war and floods .I think emergency aid like food and water .Personally defence is key because more defence less aid needed and it saves more money. Poor countries might need more support but they shouldnt rely on them they should be trying to build their country back up.
I think defence because if your country gets involved in fights you would want to be prepared,because if your not prepared than when your in differa
I think that people should spend money for other people because some country's are getting invaded and need to get money to survive and some people need money for heath
I think that aid come first beacause everyone sholud need help or have to get help because eeryone suffer of anything like today it it mental health week/day and were wereing our own cloths so deffintly aid come first .
I think that countries should not decrease aid because of defence and this is important that other countries can use aid because that you never know which country could be the next superpower .I believe that if we keep on cutting aid when we might need aid no a other county might give us aid .
I think defence because you never now what would happen and your aid could get shot out of
the sky and stolen and defence you can protect your self and win the battle for your country
I think country's should not reduce foreign aid because countries should focus more on aid instead of defence.I think they shouldn't because I know they want to be safe but sometimes aid can be more important.
i think aid is better because you can get people healed and safe from the war an other thing that going on
I think aid because when you are at war you will always get hurt and you will need aid to heal you because without aid you could die. I believe this because there was war going on and Florence Nightingale wanted to open a hospital because all the men were hurt. So, she got aid and medicine and the men could fight better and they were way stronger than before because of the medicine Florence gave them. Aid always comes first.
I think that foreign aid is very important because many people need aid to live.For example in war you need to have aid to be healed and you need aid when people hurt themelves.
Defence is also very important in life because you can defend your country and your self but also defence makes nations safe from anything bad such as raiders, enemy's or armies so it is pretty important to many people.
I think that defence is more important than aid.
In my opinion I think Defense is better than aid because, If we focus more on aid our country will be weak and have no money and a easy target, but we focus on defense will be strong and people won't mess with u ntes, but it is also important to focus on aid.
But if I have to be realistic, I would choose to upgrade both aid and defense, But if I could only choose one it would be defense, but I would like to choose both.
But I choose defense because, if a country declares war on us we need to be ready, and after were strong on military we can finally give aid, In conclusion defense is better to keep your country safe, because we can not give aid if we don't have a country.
I think countries should not decrease aid but I do think that defence was first. If we do defence first no one could make our country sick or make it have an infection. If we do aid first then our country won't have any money and we will experience the Great Depression for the first time. Aid may be helpful but if you use all of your money just to help your fellow countries they may not give us money when we need it that is called corruption. Corruption is when we give money but they don't give us money. These are reasons why defense comes first and not aid.
I think that foreign aid is more important because if you have aid you will be able to build your own defences without help and keep your country strong. I believe this because if you get aid you could use it to perhaps rebuild buildings so you might get more money and you can use it to buy defences. You could use aid in money which the country you are helping can use to buy defences too. Also, if you give aid, you might get money or aid back. Since the goverment can send aid as money and they have limited, why don't they only send aid and money to other countries.
I feel that defence instead of aid, possibly because people should earn aid while in defense. For example, in wars people are defending, and aid should come after because you never know if the soldiers are hurt yet, and sending extra aid would take a lot of money away from countries.
If you think about it, some aid could be sent over to the wrong side if not sent with caution, or other soldiers from other countries can find the aid that was sent to the war. This would be a problem for the country that has sent the aid, and would receive backlash even if it wasn't their fault.
Countries also send aid when people need it, not just randomly at times. If a country sends aid too much or too fast, other countries would feel weak and start attacking countries that sent too much aid. That is why I think defense should come first instead of aid.
I think allowing foreign countries to decrease aid for defence is a very bad idea because we need aid for lots of different reasons such as survival we need it for sick people but despite having hospitals we still need aid for when we don't have hospitals
nearby. Although I think defence is sometimes important if a county attacks you and you don't have a lot of safety still aid comes first in my opinion.
I think counties should use their money to help others counties in need but if they want something for their own country then they should always get that first before foreign aid because it is their money and they should use it on themselves rather than other counties. However, if a country has lots of money, another country is suffering from an emergency, and the rich country is not in an emergency itself , THAT is when they should give aid to other counties, a bit like a charity. Also if it is your money, your own defence is always more important than someone else's because you made that money. People might disagree because we should always be nice to each other but usually you won't have enough money after you spend to improve hosing, education, and the cost of living. a part of any spare money that isn't used on other things, should be used to aid other countries because aiding is still very good because if it succeeds, then you can build a long-term relationship with another country, which is so much better than just improving the cost of living, and they can help you if your country is in a war, famine, or other emergencies. Also if you aid, you will feel good about yourself because you just saved dozens of thousands of people's lives and even more animals.
I think that both are as important because if you help a country instead of improving yourself, they will payback every single cent leaving you with more to spend.
I think that if some countries that only send aid to politically connected countries to insure safety should build a trustful relationship with another one, as maybe they will have a political connection once they get upon their legs.
I don't deny their growth improtance importance, but what I say is that building a strong global connection can lead to improvement as they can help or payback later with your needs.
I think defence is most important because of the way countries send and give aid. I believe this because countries could help on defence allowing them to be able to secure aid from other countries around the world and help with their situation with aid and defence.
Hello Topical Talkers. My name is reasoning_strawberry and I think that international aid is much more important than defense. It is more important because it is much safer than reacting immediately, and it is also a better choice because international aid can make more allies to help boost economic growth. International aid does not only benefit the others but it can benefit you too. For example, if you help someone who's in need, they will eventually help you later when you need it. It also addresses the root of the problem such as instability which is better than reacting and creating more conflict. The instability in the country could be what is causing that problem, and the international aid can fix that problem and give you more recognition and respect.
I believe that countries should have aid first.Aid comes with defense,temporary housing,food ,and water.Countries shouldn't decrease money for aid other countries might need help and support.Some countries may not be able to afford aid some countries may help out others may not.They may not because they have to worry about financial stuff in their area.
In my opinion I think only some countries that have a good army or workforce should not reduce foreign aid because they already have very high defence and should give it to countries who don't have that much aid or defence like other countries that do have high defence.
Everything you just said is very true because your country has a lot of things should give smaller countries foreign aid.
In opinion, I think that aid is most important because let's say that two countries are at war and both countries' aid supply was constantly reducing. Then another country ships some of their aid over to the two countries. Now both countries that were in need have the aid they needed. I believe this because aid is really important to lots of countries. If we didn't have aid, then America and most countries would be in desperate need.
I think countries should not reduce foreign aid just to spend more on defence, because helping others in need often prevents bigger problems in the future . I believe this because foreign aid can reduce poverty improve health and support stability in other countries, which makes the world safer for everyone- including countries that give aid.
I also think aid benefits the country giving it. When a nation helps others, it improves global image, builds trust and strengthens relationships with other countries. This can lead to better trade, more cooperation and stronger alliances. In other words helping others can help you too.
I think you should defend, because if you defend your nation you have a better chance of being safe. And because if you defend you can keep your country afloat and have a steady nation for a long period of time. If you defend you keep your country and then you can give aid. All in all I think if you defend first you will have a nation to aid.
I think countries should definitely not reduce foreign aid because helping others in need is more important than defense. First, I think this is because by helping former struggling countries without reducing, we can later receive money from them after they've fully recovered. This will help us improve our defense after, since we are now getting our cash back and can focus more on ourselves. Second, I further feel that we should not decrease our foreign aid because it helps us with publicity. For example, we could help starving people from other countries with our aid, supporters will come flooding in. Some countries who're aiding us might even increase our pay due to what we're doing. Lastly, I believe we should choose aid over defense since we could save lives with aid. Defense helps us, but helping others is more enhanced. It's genuinely about being a good, empathetic country, not about violence. In conclusion, I still strongly think we should make aid matter more than defense because of the 'trade back', the better reputation we will possess, and because we can be a genuine great country that provides for others.
I believe that countries should reduce aid and spend more time protecting their country because although the motto "safety first" works, some people want to take it to another level to protect their resources and people with military defence, but according to the text, although governments have a limited amount of money to spend, they still focus on defending and protecting. My second reason why I believe that countries should spend more time protecting themselves is because after ending the war, they can focus on aid in their country before they focus on other countries. my last reason why I believe that countries should spend more time protecting themselves is that it gives them more time to defeat the other opposing countries and defend from the other side like America from WWll
I believe that aid should always be put first and here's why:
Firstly, global threats such as conflict, terrorism, disease and mass migration are threats most found in countries facing poor living standards, usually in this state following natural disasters like floods or conflicts like war. Foreign aid helps to directly address the roots of these problems, ensuring everyone has access to basic needs of life before they evolve into catastrophic events such as war.
Secondly, giving aid for education will benefit millions of children, helping them to shape themselves into our bright leaders of tomorrow, encouraging innovation and small minds with big ideas. It won't just benefit children alone, but adults too as not everyone has had the amazing opportunity to be able to learn to read and write as young as most people today have. These are lifelong skills, helping them to go to university maybe, or be confident in a job interview. It allows them to make a name for themselves, not needing to rely on anyone.
Thirdly, aid sent to provide clean water and food can decrease the chance of getting ill, as disease today are often caused by malnutrition. This can save millions of people from suffering, not just the sick, but everyone they know too, as things like this are fragile and take an unimaginable toll on everyone, it can save billions from more hurt in already agonizing times.
Lastly, giving aid to help rebuild homes and major can help children to grow up in a safe and happy environment, as no child should have poverty and child labour as some of their earliest memories.
I think aid is most important because you need to make sure that everyone is safe. I believe this because if you don't have aid and something happens to the people who are helping with the defence then there will be no one to defend. If the people who are defending get a wound it could get infected and could even cause them to get a virus which is why aid comes first. Defence is important but after all safety is always first which is why I think aid comes first.
I think Aid comes first, Because instead of defence and always fighting you can focus more on wounds and the wound could infect. I believe this because in the lesson when we were talking about one part was a virus and it was talking about how a new virus came into a Country. We all know safety comes first and Aid so no one gets infected bad. This proves that Aid comes first then always fighting.
I think that aid is most important because defence should go last then aid and if you hurt yourself you should help yourself instead of defence. You should help yourself instead of helping defend if you help defence it would be nice but you should help yourself then you can defend. I think aid should come first instead of defence. And safety always come first so this why I think that aid should come first.
In my opinion , defence Should come first . Because without defence , no country can develop properly. If a country does not have a strong defence system ,it can be destroyed in any war or external attack . Without security, education , the economy and other development activities can't run smoothly .
Defence also helps to build a strong economy , because investment and business grow in a safe and stable environment . Between aid and defence , defence is more important because if a country is not secure , it cannot help others . first , we must protect ourselves , and then we can help other .
If I cannot protect myself , I will not be able to help someone else . Therefore , I believe should come first , and then aid .
I think that countries should not lower or barely lower aid they are giving to other countries because spending more on aid could strengthen countries' relationships leading them to not have to worry much about defense. I believe this because in 2004 after Indonesia suffered a tsunami the United States Of America gave aid to Indonesia. This heavily increased trust and bonds between the two countries preventing wars and feuds. Therefore, spending more on aid could lead countries to not have to spend a lot on defense.
I think aid is more important because they could heal themselves and they should help protect the people and if they don't team #1 is going to be easier to defeat when team #2 is really hurt. I believe this because without the aid they could not be healed but once they are healed they could bring out the weapons so they could continue to fight.
I believe that countries should not reduce foreign aid because I think that aid is more important than defence. I think that because aid can be used to help people and keep them going, meanwhile defence can also help people but not the same as aid. Defence helps people protect them from stuff but can't help heal them.
I think both is important because u could have a need for a item while u help by sending aids after it ends they can give u the thing u need also while u help something could happen so that why I though both so u could help and protect yourself and other reason I believe for both is if u only do aids they could send people to stop u and they tell u what they might do if u keep sending aids and u don't have defence to fend off so u might help but your hurt.
Giving aid is most important .I think giving should come first because helping others will always be the best thing to do. Giving aid to other countries will help them have more resources. I believe this because I give a lot and I know how it feels to receive.
i think aid is most important because what if your not in a war but an affected country is in the war and needs help from the bad country while defense can only help you in war. a piece of evidence was that ukraine and russia russia started the war and ukraine needed help and got help and finished the war therefore meaning that aid comes before defense
I think aid is most important because there are people out there that need more help then us just spending money on defence on a fight that might not happen or that we caused. Another reason why I think aid is important because it helps a lot of people like for me not so long ago a hurricane hit Jamaica and some people even lost their homes. Other did not even have food or water during that time. That is why I think aid is more important than defence. Thank you for your time.
In my sophisticated opinion, I think defence should come first because when fighting for others, if your teammates get injured then the aid comes in. If you use aid first you won't have the equipment to help the person that is in need. I can understand why people use aid first, it's because its more important, but, it would make more sense to use defence.
Hope you learned something today! Bye Topical Talkers!👋🏾
I think that defence is most important because there will be no need for aid if there is defence before there is a chance for people to get hurt if there are many people protecting each other there will be no need for aid. Also usually defence comes before aid literally.I believe this because if there were a flood if the levee are strong enough there will be no need for aid because the protection which are the levees in this case will keep the flood from affecting the community. Additionally, another scenario where protection comes before is when it comes to neutralizing the threat when this happens the defence is first in this case the military after the threat the aid rolls. Lastly, Establishing a secure perimeter you will need defence before the aids. Creating safe zones, which allows aid agencies to operate safely after the safety zones are established in this case the protection is soldiers.
In conclusion,defence comes before aid because there is no need for aid if everyone is safe which protection provides. Also protections usually comes before aid literally.
In my opinion defence is more important than aid because defense should be prioritized because it provides the necessary stability, safety, and control required for aid to be effective. This viewpoint suggests that a country must first ensure its own security and stability before it can effectively help others. A country must be safe and stable before it can effectively help others and you cannot provide aid if your own infrastructure is under threat.You cannot administer help if you are not safe yourself; therefore, the first step is to ensure the environment is secure (a form of defense) before immediately providing aid to those in need.
From my perspective I think aid is more important than defence. My reason is that foreign aid is a good investment that prevents pandemics from happening. While defence may be good, when someone needs to undergo a medical recovery foreign aid will be the cure for it.
Hi, I'm devoted_owl! I think that defence should be before Aid. I believe this because if you have defence the country would have safety. The community population might go down if there isn’t defence in the country. Since you can get aid at a different time it’s better for defence first so when the aid comes there will be many people to receive the aid. As long as the people in the country are safe before the aid, more people will feel safe going to that country while they could bring their own type of aid to help. This could also help their reputation so people can view their country as safe. I believe safety should be before support since many people can get injured or worse. Choosing defence first can also save many lives or a lot of money for medical costs for specific injuries / people.For example somebody could get injured and not be able to receive the aid given. To sum it up I believe defence should be before aid for these specific reasons.
In many countries, people ask the question: what should come first, aid or defence? Both are important, but they help in different ways.
Aid helps people who are in need. It can give food, water, medicine, and shelter to those who are suffering from war, poverty, or natural disasters. When a country gives aid, it shows kindness and support. It can save lives and make the world more peaceful. People who feel supported are less likely to become angry or desperate.
Defence, on the other hand, protects a country from danger. A strong defence can stop attacks and keep people safe. Without defence, a country may be weak and easy to attack. This can lead to more conflict and suffering.
In my opinion, aid should come first, but defence is still necessary. Helping people can prevent problems before they become wars. At the same time, every country needs some level of defence to protect its citizens. The best solution is to find a balance between the two.
I think aid is more important then defence because I believe if we use most of our resources in order to defend against other nation but what if our defenders get hurt? This is why I believe that the most important thing is aid because aid isn't just finance it's also the trading of resources or people to help instead of just defending an most likely losing because you wasted most of your resources trying to defend but most people got hurt. So I think aid would be the best option because it isn't doesn't only benefit your own nation also you could trade some aid for defence as a balance instead of just one but I believe the most important one is aid because it can heal an provide resources .
I think that while foreign aid is important, it is good to consider where their own citizens stand in national priority. A government responsibility is to protect the people within its borders, with its national defence playing a crucial role in ensuring their safety and stability. Additionally, there is a line where prioritising other nations could begin to undermine the wellbeing of their own population, and governments must be careful not to cross that line. However reducing foreign aid may not be necessary.
In most regions, foreign aid only represents a small percentage of national income. European countries aim to donate 0.7% (many countries donating well below that) of Gross national income (GNI) in aid, the United States give roughly over 0.2% of GNI, and many countries in Asia give less than 0.3% of GNI ( some give more but it's just an average). These relatively small percentages show that aid spending is minor compared to overall government and defence budgets.
Therefore, instead of drastically cutting foreign aid and focusing on defence, while still a good focus, governments should aim to have a balance between supporting vulnerable countries abroad and ensuring their own citizens to remain as the top priority in national defence policy.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!
I think aid should go first. I think this way because defending with weak people are just gonna make you lose. What I think we should do is help the people that are injured get recovered so then they will be strong to fight. If they are injured they are like dead weight. Plus if they are bleeding and go defensive,they will die. If they recover they will be strong and will beat the other team. Imagine fighting with injured people. That's crazy. This is what I think. What do you think?
Do you think aid is more important or defence is more important? In my opinion I think that defence is more important. First, if you give people aid and not defend yourself, that puts you and your life at risk. For example, I would protect myself instead of everybody else, except my dog, my mother, my dad, and my grandma. Second, aid could backfire, but defence works almost all the time. For instance, whenever I see an army documentary, or movie the defence always works or, when I see them use medicine or aid the aid usually doesn’t work or they die after. Lastly, aid is also drugs. To explain, aids are drugs and some are bad for you. In conclusion I think that defence is more important than aid. Aid sometimes backfires but defence mostly works all the time.
I think countries should prioritise defence over foreign aid when resources are limited because a government’s first responsibility is to protect its own citizens. Without national security, economic stability and democratic institutions can collapse fast. In an increasingly unstable world, reducing defence spending could leave a country vulnerable to threats from hostile states, terrorism, or cyber-attacks.
While foreign aid is morally important and can improve global stability, it should not come at the expense of a nation’s safety. History shows that weak defence can invite aggression, and once security is compromised, the consequences are far more costly than preventative military investment. Therefore, governments must ensure strong defence first, and then provide foreign aid in a sustainable and strategic way.
Hello, what do you think is a better defense of help or others? Well I think it kind of depends on what's happening. So let's say you are the president of a country who needs help but your country is under attack by a virus . Now what I would do is see what we would like if we have a lot of resources. I'm going to send some to the help we need and some to the outside world. Although if im like down and need help myself im keeping it to myself. If I have more than enough to survive then I would send the other countries help. It kind of depends on what is happening and what things and other things like that are going on. So that's how I feel like it deepens on what you have and what you have going on at the moment. Anyway, here's a joke to lighten your mood. What did the doctor say to the fortune cookie with paper inside? ‘We can remove it but it will cost a fortune’’ 🤡 LOL anyway bye
Hi! I am quickwitted_earth. I will be discussing what is better,”defense or help others.” I think helping others is important because of what they can do back. When I say, “What they can do back” I mean things they can give the country something back. For example, If the U.S.A gave Russia 30 global credits Russia could give something in return. Russia could give the U.S.A extra weapons for war in other countries or anything else. I also believe that if more countries got more defense they might not get any extra support or motivation.I know some people would say defense is better but at the end of the war the losing country might not have anything left and will need some support. But if they don’t have anymore global credits left that country might not live anymore. To sum this up, I think helping others is better than defense. I hope you got convinced with my writing.
Hi loved_road here . I think defence should come first . I feel this way because if all of your workers are on aid your military may lose . They can also become unprepared and can easily get hurt and they can not heal themselves . If they have defence they can easily protect themselves with a tank .They can also have extra aid and it can be too much . Another reason is that if you have a good defence you can easily attack your enemy . On the other hand for aid you can over use it and run out of the aid . Your aid giver can be amateur and not work properly . In conclusion these are the reasons why I think this .
Defence should always come first. I say this because without defence then what will protect soldiers from unexpected attacks from the enemy base? Even though aid is important for healing and saves soldiers from infections, defence will save many soldiers from enemies sneaking onto base rather than allowing enemies to sneak onto base and only having bandages and wipes. I also believe that countries should not decrease in aid or defence, balancing between the two if a country is fortunate enough.
Aid should not decrease in any amount but it shouldn't be the first option; aid helps soldiers recover quickly and with little to no infected spots; but without any defence wouldn't that cause more harm than help? Enemies can sneak onto bases and attack unexpectedly.
I think defence is more important, because I think you should help yourself or your country before other countries or people. I believe this because, if you use money, or aid before you in a different country or different people this can affect what will happen in the future where you need that money, or aid. Therefore think about yourself first.
If you are spending money on other people for aids and other things, a family member can get sick and they will need you to pay their hospital bill. As that hospital bill can be a lot of money and you will regret it because you just decided to spend it. If you have a problem after you spend that money, 😂 that is a personal problem. If you thought about the future that might not have happened. Don’t do a intelligent that you know you’ll regret.
Then you have to be an experienced person to know what you will have to give out to actually help that person, if you don’t know you might give out the wrong thing to that person. If you do the wrong thing you might kill that person.
In conclusion I think defence should come before aid, because of what could happen.
Defence should be prioritized in every country because it protects a country's safety and sovereignty.
- Foreign aid while intended to support development often creates significant disadvantages for recipient countries fostering long-term dependency, encouraging corruption and damaging local industries by distorting market with free goods. It can hinder sustainable economic growth by reducing incentives for domestic reform.
Government should spend more on defence than foreign aid because,
- funds often fail to reach intended beneficiaries, instead being misappropriated by corruption officials, which further weakness governance, and donors frequently impose conditioning that prioritize their own geopolitical or economic interest over the actual needs of the recipient nation or country.
Governments have a very difficult job because every dollar spent on a tank is a dollar that can’t be spent on a school or a hospital in a developing nation. I believe that providing foreign aid is actually a form of long-term defense. When we help other countries with food, education, and healthcare, we help create a more stable and peaceful world. If people have what they need to survive and thrive at home, they are much less likely to end up in a conflict that would require military intervention later on.
On the other hand, a country must be able to protect its own citizens to remain a helpful partner to the rest of the world. If a nation is not secure, it cannot provide the resources or safety needed to deliver aid to others. Perhaps the best approach isn’t to choose one over the other, but to find ways they can work together. For example, many military forces are the first to respond with humanitarian aid during natural disasters like earthquakes or floods, showing that defense and aid can sometimes be part of the same goal.
I think foreign aid is more important than increasing defence spending because it helps prevent problems before they turn into serious security threats. I believe this because poverty, hunger, poor healthcare, and lack of education often create instability, which can later lead to conflict, migration crises, or even terrorism that affects many countries, not just one.
When governments invest in foreign aid, they are not only helping others but also protecting themselves in the long run. For example, supporting education and healthcare in poorer countries can reduce the chances of conflict and disease spreading across borders. The COVID-19 pandemic showed that problems in one part of the world can quickly affect everyone. In that sense, aid is not just kindness—it is also practical.
Defence spending is important, but it mainly reacts to threats rather than stopping them from forming. Weapons and armies cannot solve the root causes of insecurity, such as inequality or desperation. If countries cut aid to fund defence, they may end up facing more global instability, which could require even more military spending later.
That said, this does not mean defence should be ignored. Countries need to protect their citizens. However, a balanced approach is essential. Prioritising foreign aid alongside reasonable defence spending creates a safer and more stable world overall.
In my view, helping others is not a weakness. It is a smart investment in long-term peace and global security, which benefits everyone.
I think countries should not decrease aid money because if you spend more on defense and then if the defense doesn’t work then the would not be aid money for people that get hurt or injured
I think defence should always come first because you can't send aids to countries that's too dangerous. Lately countries like the UK and Germany have been cutting aid budget to spend more on defence instead, because they realize without security, nothing works. Defence spending also creates jobs and build things like shop and tech right here at home, while a lot of foreign aid doesn't actually fix the root problem. It makes no sense to pour money into aid if borders aren't secured and fighting is still going on. Basically, defence isn't against aids, it's what makes aids possible in the first place.
Aid is more important. Education and healthcare are the most important things for people living in dangerous situations, having aid ensures that they don't become sources of conflict of drama. Over 200 million people in the world require humanitarian aid right now, those are millions of lives that are saved because of foreign aid, it provides to them vaccination, maternal care, and surgery. Hunger can be used as a weapon of war, giving food isn't just about filling stomachs but it removes an advantage the other side has. The children in these situations aren't receiving the education they need because it's not considered urgent, what happens to them when they grow up and can't read or write, the country loses an entire generation.Physical security alone cannot prevent starvation, lack of education or healthcare which is why aid is most important.
I agree that aid is very important, especially in dangerous situations. When people do not have food, healthcare, or education, their lives become unstable and that can lead to more conflict. The fact that over 200 million people need humanitarian aid shows how serious the problem is. Aid provides vaccines, maternal care, and surgeries that save millions of lives every year. Giving food also prevents hunger from being used as a weapon in war. Education is just as important because without it, children grow up without basic skills and the country loses its future workforce. Physical safety alone is not enough if people are starving or sick. Aid helps protect both lives and long-term stability. It gives people a chance to survive today and build a better tomorrow. That is why I agree that aid is one of the most important tools for helping countries in crisis.
In my perspective, I believe that both sides of the argument/debate are valid points. Aid and defence are both important. A life example could be the war between Russia and Ukrain but what should we use?…
Reasons to clarify that aid is the most important include statements that verify the need of injured soldiers during the war. They have been so brave and courageous during these tough times. Don’t you think they deserve to have access to aid? Don’t you think they have worked hard, enough to get aid? Don’t you think if these warriors weren’t there to fight for justice, we wouldn’t be here today? These warriors worked so hard for their country. The least we can do is help them off their feet. Now think about this example. Imagine if nearly the entire group were injured or dead. Why would we act up to fight hard on defence when there is barely anyone to use it?
Moving on to the other hand, defence also has a huge role during combat whether it is for attacks against the enemy or for helping the soldiers who are on the edge of death. These soldiers have been able to stand on the ground of battlefields. We can make sure they are protected by defence tools such as shields, swords and helmets. By protecting the soldiers, we wouldn’t need to have aid because not many soldiers would be hurt or killed. Aid also means that lots of money is needed to make the process run smoothly. Defence is a backbone to this fighting. Although defence can be used to protect against attacks, some people may over use it and use it as a tool for attack. This means if we use it, it could be misused.
I want to add a new perspective to this discussion by looking at the theme of Inequality.
While I have noticed many of my peers are focusing on whether aid is ‘good or bad’, I think the most impactful question is: Does it encourage global stability? In my Topical Talk lesson, I learnt that when a country gifts aid, it often helps the donor’s economy in the long-run. However, this can lead to a ‘Debt Trap’ for the recipient. We see this risk in Ukraine, while USA aid was vital the closure of USAID in 2025 shows how rapidly support can shift, leaving countries reliant on loans they cannot pay back.
This leads to a lack of justice for citizens, as governments have to pay back millions, if not billions, leaving them incapable to provide basic needs for their people. This increases global inequality, which encourages poverty, war, disease and so much more.
In my opinion, aid should be gifted at just the right amount, not too little so that it leaves the country in poverty, but not too much so that countries rely solely on it.
In conclusion, don’t you think we should focus on building long-term independence?
I think aid is more important. I think this because you need people to have received aid to fight for their country and use the weapons given to them. Aid also helps not cause any issues in the first place and keep things civil. I think aid is so important because if u forget about the standards they are living in and give war equipment there would be no one to fight and they would not be able to do anything with the defence.
I think that countries should not lower the amount of money going into aid to increase defence spending. Where defence can help a country in the short term from threats that are happening now, aid helps create a foundation in a country that has just had a war with essentials like food,shelter,water and better education which lays a path for a better future for everyone. Another reason countries should increase aid is that pivotal relationships can be built with countries giving aid which can help keep the country safe in the long term. So governments should focous on aid as it could build a better economy.
I think that if there's a wealthier country they should give aid to other countries as they will have enough money to support themselves. On the other hand, if a country isn't so wealthy they should focus on themselves as they won't have as much money as other countries. I think that overall, aid is more important because then there will be a smaller chance of something bad happening as normally, disease or things like it, spreads from countries that might not be able to stop it before it becomes larger so if aid goes to those countries it will prevent that from happening. As well as that, if countries help each other then there will be less chance of war as countries will become allies.
I think you should spend more money on foreign aid because many suffer from famines and natural disasters leaving them staving and in need of help,but this does not mean you can't spend on defence and weapons to protect yourself as you have NGO's to provide for them as you there are non profit organisations so they don't need funding for example South Sudan is suffering major damage conflict and are struggling to find clean water, food and shelter. We shouldn't forget how others are living a good life and some have poor levels of education, which might cause the citizens to migrate. So we should focus on giving aid to people in need and in difficult times. But on the other hand, countries can join forces to help each other with natural disaster and famine events. Although institutions are trying their very best to provide for people in various countries where they have nothing.
Another reason for my view is that funding military weapon can not bring hope and peace to the world and can't stop wars also stable countries are less likely of disasters so they should give healthcare and resources to the people in vulnerable cities.
I think aid should come before defence because if defending means fighting back, the war would become worse and it won't help anybody.
Can you say more on why you think aid should come before defence?
I also think we should think about aid as well because the president of the USA gave the president of Ukrainian 100 billion dollars but their president said he only received 75 billion so where has the other 15 billion gone I think we have also sent to many weapons to Ukraine and the war should just stop I also think defence is a good thing because we can be ready for an attack whether it’s in the air or on land or in water because Russia have sent spies to England through submarines and we need to be aware in case it’s in the air
Can you cite where you found your evidence?
i think that they should split it so half for defence and half for aid so then they can get both and its import so if someone gets hurt they can get help and if one place goes into war then they have weapons to stay safe because it all wase good to stay protect than be scared
in my opinion ,aid should be first because it is a helpful way to show how we care for other countries that are living in poverty .Defence can make a country stronger and powerful so the consequences for us could be high but
On the other hand, aid could be a huge benefit for other countries and us by connecting peace between other nations.
I agree because aid helps, war doesn't.
I don’t think that they should decrease the amount of money that they give to other countries as it creates peace between the countries.
I don’t think that they should decrease the amount of money they give as if you give money for defences and things like that then countries with allies will team up with your country and it will create peace.This is because if you don’t give money to those countries then it will start a fight between them and they don’t want that as they want to try and be as friendly as possible. As countries with allies will be friendly with your country.
And that is why I don’t think that they should decrease the amount of money that they give to other countries for defences and things like that.
I think that aid should come before defence but I am not saying that countries should not keep some money for themselves. Giving other countries aid is definitely the right thing to do, but can be a compromise. 50% of the country's funds can go to delivering aid, the other 50% can go to defence. Or if they are feeling generous 75% can go to aid while 25% can go to defence. Knowing many countries have billions, it is very likely to happen. Financial aid can also come into account here. Like I said, many countries have billions, so that country can give another country maybe 10 billion to help with hospitals, schools and food.
Thank you for listening
Aid should have a substantial advantage as warfare is evolving; the consequences of conflict are unpredictable. Aid will help a lot of people, war will not. The chance of global conflict is great, let's not add to that chance.
Poor standards of living are an imminent danger. Many people are living in poverty. What will help them, conflict or aid? Remember, we are currently in a geopolitical crisis. From war, climate change and natural disasters. What will help, defence or aid?
Ultimately, while defence stands a concern for many nations, think about how it will help; what will be the outcome of this decision.
I think that aid should be first because it can help countries be more better especially at things like war. Defence is for countries to be more stronger which in my opinion, is for war only. But on the other hand, aid can be used for everything. For example: war, education being shut down, tornado, drought, tsunami and many more natural disasters.
Aid has three different types of aid which are emergency aid, development aid and financial aid. This must be way more better as defence only has one type. Aid can also provide more care in other countries because emergency aid can come really quickly, development aid can build schools and hospital. Lastly, financial aid can be when a country gives a lot of money to another country which can improve the country's economy a lot more better.
I think aid because everyone needs help right
Can you expand on your reasons for why you say aid?
I think you should first concentrate on your own country, because you have to defend yourself, so you don’t have to defend yourself. If you have a solid defence and military you can focus a bit more on aid for other countrys.
The military is one of the highest prioritys of your country so you should focus the most on it.
If you have a strong military or already have one like the USA, they should definitely focus more on aid.
The military of a country is one of the highest prioritys. The government should first invest in their military to defend themself, so they don’t have to defend yourself. If you then have a strong military or already have one to defend yourself, you can focus on aid for other countrys.
My opinion is aid because aid comes really quick in wars, disasters and your country might get even stronger from the aid you got from.
Can you say more on why you think aid should come first?
I do not think people should decrease the aid amount of money that is given because it might take long to get there and some countries really need help like war, if we don`t get there in time some people would die, that is why I think we should send the money over so they can get weapons quicker from their own country , I get we want to step in but more people could die because we might not get there in time
I think defence is way more important, because you should always look out for yourself first before you do for others.
Of course it is always good to help people in need but sometimes you have to look out for yourself and your people first. Aid is always good but defence is better.
I strongly believe that countries should not reduce foreign aid simply to increase defence spending, because true security begins with stability, trust, and humanity. History shows us that helping other nations during times of crisis builds long-lasting global relationships, while focusing only on defence often creates fear, suspicion, and tension instead of peace.
I always remember the moments when other countries stood by India and supported us during difficult times. A powerful example is the 2004 Tsunami, when international aid played a major role in helping affected communities recover and stand strong again. That support was not just financial—it was emotional and moral. Such acts of kindness leave a lasting impact and create bonds that no weapon ever can.
Defence is undeniably important, and every nation has the right to protect its people. However, if most resources are spent only on armies and weapons, what happens to diplomacy, development, education, healthcare, and disaster relief? These areas are equally important for long-term peace and global stability.
Spending on defence may protect borders, but foreign aid builds friendships. Aid promotes cooperation, reduces future conflicts, and addresses problems before they turn into security threats. In the end, defence may show strength, but helping others truly wins hearts—and hearts are what sustain peace.
I think that countries should always think of themselfes before helping other countries,it,s a good thing to know that any country can help another one,but to feel safe to shoud spend some money on defence,not too much but at least the necessary to protect themselfes from eventual attack from other countryes. Foreign aid and defence spending are often complementary,with aid preventing instability and conflict,reducing the long term need for military intervention.While defence spending is crucial for immediate security,a balanced approach is best, as excessive military spending can hinder economic growth,while targeted aid fosters stability and,ultimately,global security.there are many good points for defence spending such as,immediate security,deterrence,interoperability,but,there could even be different cases of balance between spending money on aids and helping other countries and spending money on defence.there are complementary goals, they both serve national security,there's a big economic impact hight defence spending can hinder economic growth, while ,allocated aid can create more stable trading partners.Overall, there is a risk of over focusing,this balance could rise global inequality and future security challenges,whereas cutting aid can increase long term risks.
I think the most important thing to do first, is to give some help, because the firts that suffer in a war are the citiziens, the kids, entire families. Giving them water, food, and an temporary escape away from their country would be a very gooe human course of sction. For the defence, that's all on soldier's hand, whose do terrible things because of political's wishes.
in my personal opinion defence comes first before aid but not in a cold or aggressive way. i think defence is something basic ,if u are not safe it is very hard to think about helping others. so for me the first step is always protection ,then comes aid something very important too. When i think about defence i don't think only about weapons and army, i think about safety in general. A country needs to protect it's people ,if there is no security ppl would live in constant fear and people live in fear they can't work well, study well,plan their future... so defence creates stability, it gives people a calm enviroment where they can grow.
No because it doesn’t help them or the opposition because it still hurts them and the opposition so they should spend their money on medical care and education for the younger people who have to learn
Can you explain on what you mean where you say "it doesn't help them"?
I think they shouldn’t because it’s the country’s money and if they keep doing it, then the money will be reduced to 0.I also agree because if my country is in war then yeah we need more energy and equipment.
You say "reduced to 0" - can you explain what you mean by this?
Yes because they will have to have more defence and they can heel with the medicine they have left
I agree we need money given to other countries for aid and defence because we can’t just think of our selfs not just that they might be a poor country also think of the children.
Although some may disagree because of there country being poor but this is why we should give others countries money for there aid and defence maybe if there’s some left, save it or pay for the ones at need like the hospital for those who got injured in war and medicine for illness.
Yes I do agree because every country needs help at some point
From my perspective, I think that defence is more important than aid. This is because, if you get aid, then if you don’t have a defence, then the aid and resources will get destroyed. In the event that a war starts, for reference, the war in Gaza happens, most people would want protection and safety before the resources.
With the right defence, taking into consideration how, during a war, you are at risk of getting bombed at all times, the risk is brought down significantly with technology. Except without the aid you need to survive, the people of the nation can starve. So, there are pros and cons. One con about defence is that without aid, the people of the nation may get very sick. without the help.
But then another reason defense is more important than aid and resources is that defense can bring down the chances of an attack. Which can let farmers grow crops and feed some of the people starving.
In conclusion, I think defence is more important than aid, so the nation under attack is safer.
Yes I agree because if they are hurt soldiers they could recruit and recover and go back and fight and the rest of the country would be safe because of the defence
I think you should balance it out because you need aid to help other countries and to strengthen relationships with other countries but you need defence to protect your country from threats and invasion but altogether I think defence because you you can protect the aid you already have.
Can you say more on what you mean by "balance it out"?
Hello, whoever is reading my comment, I disagree on countries spending more money on defence because the global currency for the country is declining and what they’re spending it on is education, food and medical resources. I also agree because the educational needs for children, the food and the medical resources are important for us and other people like Russia the USA and Iraq and Pakistan
I think that aid should come before defense because in cases where war is taking place, they have already lost their defense, making aid necessary. If a country has sufficient aid, their defense lineup will be strong.
Can you expand on your reasoning?
I think that other countries shouldn't decrease foreign aid because aid can be used for different things like money,shelter and support.Defence may actually be useful but it is not as useful as aid.Aid lends more major support than better defence because despite the fact that defence helps remarkably, aid has saved millions of people and defence only saved people in war.
With aid it helps with not only just support but spreading kindness just like a ripple effect.The reason why is if you support others they may one day support you back.Another reason why it is more vital is that it helps if you have poor levels education and absolute bad land to live.Also foreign aid can help with poverty and the majority of people can drive really free and not have to worry about a large amount of cars.Aid can help marvellously with financial problems and schools that need help.Defence is a very good option but foreign aid help much better in quality and being supportive.
Although defence is another major thing to , aid helps in many different areas and can help and hold reputation.
It can also help with supporting other countries rather than going to war and fighting cruically to get more land and other things.Foregin aid is one of the most best things or maybe the foremost thing for a country to have so the goverment shouldn't decrease but increase.
In my point of view.we can help the country which is in need . When we help them they will help us . It's a humanity. And we can reduce the money which we spend on defence instead we can invest them on aid . But also when we spend more money on defence we can safeguard ourselves . When we safeguard ourselves then we can help the country which is in need. So my final opinion is to spend equal money on the defence and aid is the best choice.
I think that reducing foreign aid to increase defense spending is a short-term fix for a long-term problem because it ignores the main reasons of global instability, like poverty and lack of education. I believe that a dollar spent on a school in a developing nation can be more effective for peace than a dollar spent on a tank.
If we cut aid, we might actually increase the risk of future wars that require even more expensive military action. It is estimated that 4% ($93 million) of current global military spending could end world hunger by 2030.
If a country's strength was measured by the number of children, it helped educate rather than the size of it's arsenal, how would that change the way we define ' national security'
signing off: Fair Minded Elephant
I think defence is more important because if there isn't a good defence then there might not be a country at all, but the aid money should be decreased to much because if you don't give money to others, when they need it, why should they give you money when you need it. I believe this because defence makes a country safe from other current threads that the population might now know about. Foreign aid responds to crisis that are already happening, but defence prevents the crises from happening. For example Ukraine situation their defence is pretty low and now their might get conquered by Russia. Do you agree with me?
Defence is crucial and important to protect it's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and citizens from external threats and internal instability. It ensures peace, upholds democracy fosters economic growth, drives technological innovation, and enables rapid crisis response to disasters. A strong defence also increases international standing and deplomasy. Every country should see defence as its topmost priority rather than aid.
Hello topical talkers, hope you are doing great. I think international aid is most important because it helps stop problems like poverty and lack of education before they turn into wars. I believe this because history shows that military power alone doesn't bring lasting peace, but building strong diplomatic relationships through helping others can prevent conflicts from even starting.
I think a balanced approach is most important because a government must protect its own citizens while also being a good global neighbor. I believe this because while defense handles immediate dangers like attacks, aid reduces future risks by creating a more stable and equal world for everyone.
I think a balanced approach is most important because a government must protect its own citizens while also being a good global neighbor. I believe this because while defense handles immediate dangers like attacks, aid reduces future risks by creating a more stable and equal world for everyone.
Hi, Topical Talkers! As far as I am concerned, leaders, as specialized people in charge of a nation they are, must do what benefits their own country without destroying others.
On one hand, investing in other nations can assist some countries to defend their nation from a country that has declared war to other with a lower economic provision. Given the fact that there are some nations involved in a bloodly war, who wouldn't be able to face such a difficult situation, or defend their soldiers from the opposition's army if it wasn't because of other's aids.
According to the BBC, Ukranian soldiers can't confront the Russian's trops without European and United States' aids. In case my continent (Europe) and USA don't help Ukrania, a country in a vulnerable situation, all civils and military people living in that country would be probably almost completely executed.
However, on the other hand, if an only governor distributes all money to a certain nation without bearing in mind his/her own, we could face issues related to health institutions, education and economic cutbacks.
In addition to this, in the worst of the cases, other country might declare war to your own country, and as you have spent your funds in assisting other govermnets, you could be unable to defend your population.
In conclusion, I do not think there is an only possible way to manage your country's money; instead, I strongly believe governors have to be concious of what they are doing and be able to face every single unexpected misfortune at the same time they are possibly helping others.
Thanks!
I personally believe that we should not cut national aid and remain to give money to countries who are experiencing a crisis.
Reducing national data based solely on statistics and GDP can be detrimental to a country's social and economic stability.
Data shows that nations with lower GDP's often face higher levels of poverty, inequality, and unmet basic needs, which can hinder overall development and stability. Cutting aid in such contexts may exacerbate these issues, leading to increased health crisis, educational disparities, and social unrest.
Moreover, strategic investments in aid have been proven to stimulate economic growth by improving infrastructure, healthcare, and education, which can boost the country's GDP in the long run. Therefore, basing aid reductions solely on current statistics or GDP figures ignores the wider developmental necessities and potential for positive change, risking setbacks that could be more costly in the future.
I think providing assistance to other nations is more crucial than focusing solely on defence. Typically, helping others in times of need encourages them to support you in return. By aiding another country, you can form alliances and increase your strength rather than remaining isolated. For instance, during World War II, the Axis Powers consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan.
Why did nations form alliances in World War II? They needed to be more powerful than their enemies to secure victory.
I believe that the long-term value of foreign aid outweighs the potential benefits from increased defence spending. The 21st century is more interconnected than ever, the Internet, alongside safe travel by both land and sea has made isolationism near impossible. To secure balance in this new world, military strength alone is not enough. Having cooperation and stability between the world's countries should at the forefront of everybody's mind. While defence protects a country from immediate threats, foreign aid can be seen as a long-term investment. When thinking from this perspective: you realize that most conflicts have a 'root cause' attached to them. This 'root cause' (whether it be poverty, lack of education, political instability, etc.) can create mistrust within a set government's system. This then leads to safe havens for terrorist groups, state failure as well as mass migrations which could result in even more money being spent to stabilize the situation (diplomatically or militarily). Investing in a destabilized region to help accelerate development might be more cost-effective than having to deploy troops in that same area later. A strong defence is a necessity, but moving money from pre-existing aid over to defence is like applying a bandage and some morphine to a gunshot wound. Ultimately pointless. If you view aid as an investment, rather than charity, a secure and safe world may be possible for everybody.
I believe foreign aid should be given equal or even greater importance than defence because preventing problems is wiser than reacting to them with force. Many global threats—such as conflict, terrorism, disease, and mass migration—often begin in places affected by poverty, weak governance, or natural disasters. When these root causes are ignored, they grow into crises that no military can easily solve.
Foreign aid invests in education, healthcare, clean water, and disaster relief. These are not just acts of kindness; they are smart strategies for stability. A child who has access to school and food is less likely to be drawn into violence. A community with hospitals and jobs is less likely to collapse into chaos. In this way, aid builds hope, and hope reduces conflict.
Foreign aid also strengthens diplomatic relationships. Countries that help others in difficult times build trust and goodwill, which can lead to stronger trade partnerships and international cooperation. This “soft power” influence can sometimes achieve more than weapons ever could.
Of course, defence spending remains necessary to address immediate threats and protect citizens. However, prioritizing military budgets while neglecting humanitarian support can increase inequality and resentment.
In the long run, a balanced approach—strong defence combined with meaningful foreign aid—is the most responsible path toward lasting global peace and security.
I think countries should not automatically reduce foreign aid to spend more on defense, because both serve different but equally important purposes. Cutting aid too quickly can create bigger global problems that eventually affect a country‘s own Security. I believe this because foreign helps prevent conflicts before they start. For example, organizations like United Nations and World Bank fund programms that Support Education, healthcare and economic Development in poorer countries. Research has shown that improving living standarts and stability can reduce the risk of war, terrorism and mass migration. If countries only increase defense spending but ignore the root causes of instability, they may face even greater Security threats later on.
Defence should always come first, because safety is the foundation of every helpful action. When a person protects themselves and becomes aware of the danger, they prevent the situation from getting worse. Defence is not about ignoring others, but about being wise and responsible. A person who is safe can think clearly, stay calm, and make better decisions.
After making sure the danger is controlled, aid becomes the next important step. Helping others is a noble and kind action, but it must be done in a safe way. When you defend yourself first, you make sure that you are strong and able to give real and effective help. This shows courage, intelligence, and maturity.
In conclusion, defence comes before aid because safety always comes first. Once safety is secured, aid can be given in the best and most successful way. This balance between defence and aid reflects responsibility, wisdom, and true care for others.
thank you topical talk 🌹
I think countries should not reduce foreign aid to spend more on defence because helping people in need can make the world safer in the future. I believe this because when countries give aid, they help provide food, clean water, education, employment and medicine. When peoples basic needs are met, there is less fighting and less poverty.
For example, organisations like UNICEF use foreign aid to give vaccines and education to children around the world. This helps countries become stronger and more stable.
However, I understand that defence is also important because every country needs to protect it's people and keep them safe.
In my opinion, I think governments should try to balance both. They should protect their country but also continue helping others, because helping today can prevent bigger problems tomorrow.
I think that goverments should spend more money on foreign aid.I think it is more important because in the world there are a tremendous amount of casualties and when the people that are part of those casualties seek help from others they cant seem to find it.
I think that defence is more important, because countries are more protected and safe. I believe this because I think is more important be more safe and sure than spend more in foreign aid. Nowadays the world is becoming more dangerous and more conflicts are coming.
On the other hand, if countries spend more money in foreign aid they can make a pact between them and reduce the probability of start a conflict.
In conclusion, countries have to spend more money on defence, because It become more safe.
I think Aid is more important because helping people caught in the crossfire of global conflict requires a blend of immediate relief and long term advocacy. The most direct way to make an impact is by supporting reputable international humanitarian organisations that have the infrastructure to deliver food, clean water, and medical supplies to high risk zones. However, beyond financial aid,we can assist by amplifying the voices of those affected-sharing verified stories to ensure their struggles aren't forgotten by the media or policymakers. Finally , fostering empathy within our own communities and advocating for peaceful diplomatic resolutions helps create a global culture that prioritises human life over political gain.
That's all from me byeeeeee!!!!
To my mind, countries shouldn't reduce foreign aid to spend more in defence. Both are really important and essential in our lives.
However, if I have to choose, I think foreign aid is most important since if we help other countries, then, we don't need to spend money for defend ourselves of those countries.
That depends in the diffrent situations of the countries. Although, how things are, it's good to keep money as we dont know what is going to happen. Dont't you think so?
In conclusion, help the other but keep money for whatever may happen.
Hi, I`m Empowered Nectarine.
In some cases aid is very important, it helps to create a better society and provide us with a lot of things that are essential in our daily lifes.
I think they shouldn`t reduce it, because if they lower it some people are going to be very affected and they can lose their jobs like doctors. These people that depend on this money for making their jobs such as doctors that are reciving money for saving lives or for other things that help a lot of countries are essential in the pillar of our countries and without them we are lost.
However, the defence right now is very crucial because of those powerful countries that are putting fear on many countries and instead of thinking other ways for improving the defence, they are reducing aid.
To sum up, aid is helping a lot of countries and if they start reducing it a lot people will lose their jobs and most of those countries that receive this help are going to have serious problems.
I think aid and defence are both important in my opinion. If there is a threat, then the government needs to get defence to keep the people safe. If a country is not protected the people could feel scared or unsafe in their own homes. Aid can also help the country too. Aid can help a country in need. Aid can give food, water, or money. Aid can even make the country stronger. Overall, I think Aid and defence is both important.
I think spending money on a foreign aid is important.While military is needed to defend against threats from outside of your country, having less money being sent to foreign aid can create a larger risk in the long term.The military protects against threats that already exist,but foreign aid helps eliminate the conditions that create problems to begin with.
Example of issues that can cause unrest and violence are poverty, lack of education,poor government,and lack of economic opportunity.If these issues are not taken care of,they could escalate into wars that affect more than just one country and have implications for the rest of the world.In today's globalised economy,if one region is unstable,it can disrupt world trade,create greater levels of migration,and pose global threats.Some people argue that since citizens are the priority of their government,they should get the majority of the funds during times of economic hardship.This is a reasonable viewpoint; however, throughout the ages, history has proven that simply having a strong military does not guarantee a country will be at peace forever.It has been shown that many of the conflicts that occur today are from social and economic disparities and that the use of foreign aid addresses these needs.
When countries assist one another in times of crisis(natural disasters, financial crisis,etc.),they create an environment that fosters trust and cooperation.The importance of these relationships is vital to long-term stability
I think that aid is more important because if a country is making more weapons to fight others but instead of defense and attacking others with hard power or "show of force" larger countries can show "soft power" by sending aids this soft power forms alliances quicker in ways military power can not do it leads resilient partners while attacking/defense can lead to dependency
Also Aid is also the first line of the defense against epidemics, diseases and outbreaks for example the Coronavirus (COVID-19) smaller or poorer countries that can't afford to buy this drugs and vaccines for diseases in bulk may have higher death rates and people getting sick.
Also Aid like UNICEF, WFP, GIZ (Germany Aid), and many more provide jobs for many people over 50,000 world wide and is serving as a source of income to many families(from that country and in others) taking money away from this agencies means loss of jobs, homeless people, hunger and many more. For example the USAID stopped causing over 20,000 people world wide to lose jobs (which resulted in other people not working for USAID to lose jobs)
I believe this because many people has lost jobs, death increased, hunger crisis and healthcare collapsed.
Thanks careful_harp - your point about Aid creating jobs is something to consider. It would be interesting to know what source you got your information about the number of jobs provided and also about the 20,000 jobs lost from USAID.
I believe that strong economically countries should mostly give foreign help and that developing countries should focuse more on defending themselves that helping other countries.
I believe that countries should definitely give foreign aid,because another way of working and defending themselves from people who harm. Even the craziest defending tools can have positive results. the most important thing is that we help others and that we work all together as a team!!!
In my opinion, aid should come before defense.While national security is important, helping people meet basic needs is even more urgent. Around the world, millions of people struggle with poverty, hunger and lack of access to education al health care. If governments invest more in aid, they can improve living conditions, reduce inequality and create more stable societies.
For this reason, investing in aid can also help prevent future conflicts. When governments focus on improving education, healthcare and job opportunities, and reduce inequality. Many conflicts beign because people feel ignored, treated unfairly or without opportunities. By supporting development countries can build more stable societies.
In conclusion, aid is more important than defense because if aid is not well, can lead to problems, and by helping people with basic needs, the government can easily create a safer place, or country
I believe countries should not cut international aid just to boost defense spending. Both serve important roles in maintaining stability. Defense protects a nation from immediate threats, while international aid aadresses deeper issues that can lead to those threats.
Problems like poverty, lack of education, political instability and weak governance create conditions where conflicts can arise. When these issues are ignored, they can turn into crisis that spread beyond borders and impact global peace. In this way, international aid act as a long term preventive measure, tackling root causes instead of just symptoms.
Some people argue that governments should focus on their citizens, especially in tough times. However, depending only on military strength has often proven inadequate for achieving lasting peace. Many modern conflicts stem from economic hardship and social inequality, which defense spending alone cannot fix.
Additionally, international aid strengthens diplomatic ties. Countries that help each other during crisis build trust and cooperation, which reduces tensions and promotes mutual respect.
In the end, defense and international aid need to work together. Defense addresses immediate dangers, while aid lowers long-term risks, ensuring present security and future stability.
One reason for my view is that a nation’s first responsibility is to protect its own citizens. Without strong defence, a country may not even remain stable enough to provide help to others. History has shown that weak military preparedness can invite aggression. For example, before World War II, many European nations followed policies of appeasement and reduced military readiness. This encouraged expansion by leaders like Adolf Hitler, which eventually led to a devastating global war. If countries had strengthened their defence earlier, the scale of the conflict might have been reduced.
Another example can be seen during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Nations that invested heavily in defence were able to deter direct large-scale attacks. Strong military power acted as a warning and helped prevent a third world war. This shows that defence spending can maintain peace through deterrence.
Supporters of foreign aid argue that it prevents long-term instability. While this may be true, aid does not always guarantee peace. In some cases, aid money has been misused due to corruption or weak governance, failing to solve the intended problems. Therefore, increasing defence during uncertain times may be a more reliable way to ensure national security.
In conclusion, although foreign aid is valuable, defence should take priority when resources are limited. A secure nation is better positioned to help others. Strong defence ensures survival first, and only then can a country responsibly extend support abroad.
I'm waiting for you reply...
I think that the best option is to spend money on defence, because first is to be good on your country and then in the rest of the countries and is more important because if your country is not in good conditions and is in war, or your country is dry of raw materials, or your country is passing a famine, so you need to look more for yourself and your coutry self than for the others, because when you are and the other countries are going to help you to go ahead, and when you are good in your country or life, you need to help the others that are having a bad time and this is not for your country (that also is it) is to applie in daily life also.
I think no countrys should focus in both defence and aid's because without defence your enemies
can easily enter your country . Aids is still too important because you can't let your people die because a country is not a country without civilians and residents .
But still defence should be consider first before Aids because without defence Aids can not be deliverd , when transporting them they need security to gurd them from guns ,taribans and terorist
Aids is still important because the solders needs aid in order to gurd the country from bad people and gurd aids so they should all be equal to each other if one is geting 50 percent the other should get the same .
I think long-term responsibility is most important because decisions made today can shape the future in ways we might not immediately see. It can be tempting to focus only on short-term savings or quick solutions, especially during difficult times. However, choices that ignore long-term effects can create bigger problems later.
I believe this because we have seen how issues like poverty, climate change, and conflict do not stay contained within one country. When support is reduced in areas like health or education, instability can grow, and that can eventually affect trade, security, and global cooperation. In the long run, preventing problems is often less costly than reacting to crises after they have already escalated.
While some people might argue that governments must focus only on immediate national needs, I think responsible leadership means balancing present challenges with future consequences. The right thing to do is not always the easiest choice now, but the one that creates the most stability and fairness over time.
Hello! Nowadays people wonder if it's more important to prioritize our own country or to protect others that need us.
On one hand, I believe that aid is very important for Least Development Countries (LDC), for example; Yemen, almost totally depends on aid, because of the internal conflict they are suffering. If we remove aid, consequences for countries such as Yemen may be devastating.
On the other hand, it is also essential to consider the security of our own citizens. The government must guarantee stability of its population, no matter what.
In concluion, I think this is a very complex question that doesnt have a clear answer, because its important to take into account both options.
It's not a 'black and white' issue. If we only focus on military spending, we're just building high walls while the world outside continues to boil. But if we only focus on aid without any protection, we leave ourselves vulnerable. The smartest strategy is using aid to treat the 'root causes' of conflict-like poverty and ignorance. Building a school today is much cheaper and more effective than being forced to buy a tank tomorrow. Ultimately, a country's true strength isn't just measured by how many weapons it has to win a war, but by how much influence it has to prevent one from ever starting. True security isn't just a shield; it's a stable world.
You mentioned that true security is a stable world. How could such stability realistically be built and maintained?
Foreign aid holds the greatest value to me. When people are in real trouble, we should help them first, not rush to buy more weapons. When countries invest in aid, they tackle problems like hunger, poverty, and conflict before they spiral out of control. That actually makes us safer down the road, because it shrinks the reasons for future wars.
Look at groups like UNICEF or the World Food Programme. They bring food, clean water, and education to millions of kids. If they stopped, chaos would spread. When people don’t have what they need, fights and instability usually follow—then everyone deals with bigger security headaches.
But I get it—defence still matters. Organizations like NATO exist for a reason. Countries need to protect themselves and work together to stay safe. If a country can’t defend itself, it probably can’t help anyone else.
So, honestly, I don’t think governments should ditch aid just to pump more money into defence. They need both, but it’s all about balance. Helping others makes the world safer in the long run, and solid defence keeps people at home protected. Both matter, just in different ways.
I think aid is most important because helping other countries with aid is a good thing to do when it is hard. I believe this because it will help people in other countries and you might not need the aid as much as they do. It is really thoughtful of doing nice things for other countries because you never know if they are going to return the kindness back to you.🙂
I think Aid because what if you lose the war but you are really hurt and you need medicine, you would need healing urgently. The medicine is for everyone so I think that it is way better and without medicine, you cannot fight, babies who have not lived long might need medicine and it would be so sad if everyone died.
I think balancing both is the only real answer because they're two sides of the same coin. Defence keeps us safe right now, but aid keeps us safe in the future by making the world more stable. I believe this because if we only spend on weapons, we're just waiting for the next fire to start, but if we only spend on aid, we're unprotected if someone starts a fight. we need to be strong and kind at the same time.
Honestly, I think choosing between aid or defence is a bit of a trap-we actually need both to be truly safe. I believe balancing them is the smartest move because defence is like an insurance policy for right now, but foreign aid is an investment in a future where we don't even need that insurance. I believe this because it's much cheaper to help a country build a school today than it is to deal with a conflict there in ten years. We shouldn't just be 'strong'; we should be smart enough to make sure we don't have to use that strength.
I agree with you because if you don't have aid you will not be strong enough to fight for your country is just like the
saying health is wealth. In what I have with I hope you lean something and I also wish I can get star. i just want you to now aid is important to wars.Defence is also important , you need defence to save your life and your country life too.
I think defence is most important because when you are waiting for aid and you don't need it, the other country could attack you even if you don't notice. I believe this because throughout history there are stories of soldiers being able to save themselves because of weapons and defence. Aid during hard times and even war is important but not as necessary as defence.
Hello! I don't think that lowering the amount of money given to different countries and spending it on your own defence is actually a good idea because, by helping other states you create an alliance that makes both the countries stronger and reduces the risk of not having someone by your side in an unexpected situation like a war.
Also, not all countries are wealthy and have the needed resources for their people to live a normal life, some having to work until exhaustion just to live the day. Some states that have more than what they use and need should always help the economically disadvantaged countries that could probably help them in their own way in the future.
I think countries should not reduce foreign aid to spend more on things like defence because countries could have damaged homes caused by severe weather and heavily injured people, or a disease outbreak that could spread throughout the globe. In this scenario, items like water, tents, first aid kits, medical attention, and more are needed for allies to trust you and not think that you are betraying them. This is why countries should not reduce foreign aid to spend more on things like defence.
Foreign aid should not be compromised for the sake of defense because security is created by preventing crises from arising in the first place.
Defense is required, but it is a reactive process. This means that by the time the troops are mobilized, the damage has already started. Strategic foreign aid can mitigate the causes of instability before they become threats to the world.
Contemporary threats such as extremism, pandemics, and climate-related conflicts arise from fragile environments. Securing a vulnerable area of the world is a far quieter, and sometimes more effective, way of securing global security than stockpiling weapons.
The question is not “aid versus defence” – it is ineffective aid. Unchecked money can perpetuate corruption, build dependency, or miss the target in communities that need the help. When aid is opaque and unaccountable, taxpayers become disillusioned, and critics say that a country’s money is better spent on defence.
This gap makes aid an easy target for budget cuts, even if the long-term implications are dire.
Instead of cutting aid, governments need to strategically reform it. Link aid to results. Collaborate with local institutions rather than supplanting them. Emphasize resilience: food security, health infrastructure, climate resilience, and anti-corruption strategies. Every dollar should be trackable and accountable. Align aid with national security objectives so that citizens understand how a stable world helps their prosperity at home
This way aid becomes a smarter and more sustainable security tool than military expansion alone.
In my opinion, countries should have balance between the money they spend for defense purposes and the money they spend for international aid and humanitarian purposes. Both are necessary.
International aid builds strong bonds between countries while defense systems help keep them. It is important to help other people because first of all we are humans and we should help each other. But for a nation to become and stay strong, unfortunately, as history has taught us, there is one way for the top : to be able to maintain your territories and your position to global political balance.
I think spending more foreign aid is most important because you can help more people in other countrys. Espacially in poor ones. But I would spend money into defence too because you need it to protect your nation when another nation wants to invate you. But just for the defence you don`t need to spend so much money and money you don`t need you can give to other countrys who need aid. It is important dough that you don`t spend the aid blindly aournd the world because you don`t know if the money really goes to the people in the nation. So I think it is a balance between aid and defence, but you should look more on giving aid than building a defence.
It depends because hnndreds of people may be injured and the country might not have the right equipment to help them to recover from their injuries.
But if they have the equipment to help people recover.But they don't have the defences.
So I would send defences to help them to defend so they can keep their land and make sure civilians do not died or get injured!
Thanks for reading !!!!!!!!!!
I believe that countries should not decrease foreign aid therefore they should not use it to increase their defence.
Foreign aid money effects majorly in a good way especially to things that have poor level standards.It supports us human beings in things we suffer from in hard conditions like poverty,substandard education and also the poor circumstances to live in.Foreign aid can be used for more ways that are better.Defence mainly focuses on protecting and shielding the military and war but foreign aid helps more people than defence expenditure does.Foreign aid prevents sickness and other difficulties people may be having in life.Therefore foreign aid could be in a better use than defence.
Despite aid being very supportive,on the other hand,I think that defence also plays a vital role.Defence may help people for war but war is still meant for people to fight for us and justice.We need to acknowledge that defence is an important thing to have as it supports not just for the people in war but for us to.It helps with danger and threats that occur and helps us to feel safe.It is an ability that is useful for hard conditions people have to develop through.
Defence is important and is a very good option but not better than foreign aid.
In conclusion,I believe that foreign aid is more supportive as it helps us in many different ways including when we have financial problems therefore they should not reduce foreign aid.
Deciding whether countries should reduce foreign aid to spend more on defense is not an easy choice. Many people feel that a government’s first responsibility is to protect its own citizens. With growing global tensions and security threats, it can seem logical to invest more money in the military to ensure safety and preparedness. From this perspective, strengthening defense is about preventing danger and maintaining national stability.
However, foreign aid also plays an important role in creating a safer world. By helping other countries improve their healthcare, education, and economies, nations can reduce poverty and conflict before they grow into larger problems. In many cases, supporting global development can actually prevent future wars and instability. Rather than choosing one over the other, it may be wiser for countries to strike a balance between protecting themselves and contributing to global peace.
Hello, I'm enchanted camel;
In my opinion, aid and defence are both really important, however, decreasing the amount of aid just for increase defence is relatively wrong. When a country is fighting in a war, defence is essential for defeat your enemies, but without a financial help for weapons, drones, equiment and military support, it is quite hard.
If goverments do not focus on aid, systems could collapse and the country would loose most of the economic develop. Donors provide a great source of power which, if it is reduced to spend that capital on defence, will be lowered.
Defence, rather than for protection, is about defeating your opponents and many people can be harmed. On contrast, aid has several uses, and not just for equipment, food and to build infrastructures. It helps to stablish alliances between countries, and it could even build relationships between politicians, without involving corruption.
For a country to be sustainable, it must involve both financial help (aid) and defence, and if both of them are used in a proper way, countries could achieve their goals and make countries grow economically.
Thanks for reading!
I think defence is most important becuase, although we can afford aid to other people, first we need to think about us and protect our country. I believe this because, during the history, there have been countries that aid other ones but, then, the countries that received the aid have attacked them.
@storytelling_studio do you have any examples of where this has happened? Where a country that has received aid has attacked a donor country?
I strongly disagree with the idea that countries should reduce foreign aid to spend more on defence.
I think continuing foreign aid is most important because helping other countries can actually improve global security in the long term. I believe this because many global problems — such as poverty, hunger, lack of education, and poor healthcare — can lead to instability and conflict. When countries receive support to improve living conditions, they become more stable and peaceful. This reduces the chances of wars, refugee crises, and international tensions.
Some people argue that defence should always come first because a government’s main responsibility is to protect its own citizens. I understand this point, especially if a country feels threatened. However, spending too much on defence while cutting foreign aid may only focus on short-term safety. Military power can protect borders, but it does not solve the root causes of global problems.
Foreign aid also builds strong diplomatic relationships. When a country supports others during crises, it builds trust, respect, and cooperation. These positive relationships can prevent conflicts and create long-term partnerships in trade, science, and development.
In my opinion, the right approach is balance. Countries should protect themselves, but not at the cost of ignoring global responsibility. Reducing foreign aid too much could make the world less stable, which may eventually create more security risks. True safety comes not only from strong defence, but also from strong global cooperation and compassion.
Thank you!
In my view, countries should not reduce foreign aid just to increase their defence budget. Both defence and foreign aid are important, and choosing one over the other without thinking carefully is not the right solution. The decision should depend on the country’s economic strength and current situation. If a nation already has a strong and stable military, there is no need to keep spending more on weapons. Instead, it should use its resources to help poorer countries through foreign aid. Richer nations have more money and power, so they also have a moral responsibility to support people who are struggling in developing countries.
At the same time, if a country is facing serious security threats or danger from outside forces, it makes sense to focus more on defence to protect its citizens. Safety is important, but completely cutting foreign aid to fund armies and weapons can appear selfish. Millions of people around the world depend on aid for food, healthcare, and education. Defence spending should not mean ignoring human suffering. The best approach is balance—spending wisely on national security while still helping other nations grow and recover. A truly safe world is built not only with strong armies, but also with cooperation, kindness, and empathy between countries.
I think countries should reduce foreign aid and spend more money on defence because the first duty of any government is to protect its own citizens. I believe this because without safety and security, a country cannot grow, develop, or help others. People need to feel safe in their homes, schools, and workplaces.
Today, the world is not always peaceful. There are wars and conflicts happening, such as the war between Russia and Ukraine. Situations like this show that countries must be prepared to defend themselves. If a country is weak in defence, it may become a target for attack. Spending on defence helps build strong armed forces, better technology, and better protection systems.
Also, governments have limited money. If they spend too much on foreign aid while their own country has problems like poverty, unemployment, or weak security, their citizens may suffer. For example, India has a large population and many development needs. It makes sense for the government to focus first on protecting and supporting its own people.
Once a country is strong, stable, and secure, then it can provide foreign aid from a position of strength. Helping others is important, but protecting your own country should always come first.
I hope I will get atleast one star for my work 😊⭐
Thank you !
I think defence is also very important, but reducing foreing aid seems to much to me.
It is true that it is better to focus on protecting the country before it is too late, but if you invest in international aid you can forge new allies which will support you and you will become more powerfull together.
Also, if there is a country affected by poverty, natural disasters and with a poor government it is prone to be the first one attacked if a war took place.
So in conclusion, although I know is not quite elaborated, I think countries should try to spend the same amount of money in defence than in aid. So everything will be well-balanced.
My opinion on whether aid or defence go first, I think aid should go first. One reason aid should go first is because if they are hurt or starving and they don't have enough resources, how will they fight? Another reason aid should go first is because it is hard to go fight when you are hungry or starving. Aid can help stabilize countries that have less natural resources. Historically, aid is very helpful because it helped rebuild Europe after World War 1 (WW1).
I think countries should not reduce foreign aid because if they spend more money on defence , the poor countries will not be safe. I believe this because when people have more resources like food and schools, they are less in danger.
THe United Nations helps countries work together and sends aid to places that needs food or water. UNICEF helps children get food, medicine and education. When children are healthy and educated, their countries can become more peaceful in the future.
I think that foreign aid is most important because it can increase the countries allied powers, and can also help trade between countries. I believe this because between our lessons about how countries can give in return sparks the idea about how we can get more allied powers.
We can get more allies because helping can increase the chance of that country someday returning resources. For example, if your country is going on downfall the country that recently received aid could help the country that gave aid but now is a poor country. Countries can aid each other when in times in need. Money should be mostly used to aid because it can be returned.
When countries trade it's because another country has better resources or unavailable resources in the current land. If you give aid then it ensures trust between countries. This way they have trust to trade and could make more resources available in the communities of others.
In my opinion, instead of cutting down foreign aid to fund defence budgets, countries should strive to maintain a balance between the two. Foreign aid is a vital component of supporting education, health, disaster relief and poverty reduction in underdeveloped countries. In this way, other nations are helped to become stable and prosperous, which helps to reduce conflicts, migration and inequalities between nations. This, in turn, creates a more secure world in the long run.
Defence is another vital component of a country that helps to protect national sovereignty, maintain peace and protect a nation from security threats. It is imperative that a country ensures that it's people feel secure and that their interests are protected.
Nevertheless, a country should not overfund defence budgets at the expense of humanitarian support, which might affect international relations and global stability.
The most viable solution is to maintain a balance between defence and foreign aid. It is imperative that a country invests wisely in defence while supporting foreign aid. This way, nations will be able to support one another, and this will promote international relations and sustainable development. In this way, security and humanitarian support are the key to creating a peaceful and prosperous world.
In my opinion, the most reasonable decision is to keep sending aid to countries in need. I think this not only for ethics, but also for strategy.
I don´t think spending more than the minimum amount allocated to the weapons and defence is worthwile, not more than helping other countries. Foreign aid could be very necessary for some situations, and in a long term, spending money in helping could bring your country new allies, or help to your country for te gratitude of the countries you helped. Meanwhile, some of the conflicts that require defence could be ended diplomatically, with a truce or even in another ways more healthier than hurting your own country.
I conclusion, defence sould be te last resource to run out, and helping others is first.
I think that in my opinion, cutting foreign aid to fund defence sends the wrong message. A truly strong nation is not only powerful in military terms, but also compassionate and responsible on the global stage. Governments should manage their budgets carefully because if not they can produce inflation or higher costs of the things.
First, defence is clearly important. A government’s basic duty is to protect its citizens. Without security, people cannot live safely, businesses cannot grow, and schools and hospitals cannot function properly. If a country is weak militarily, it may become a target for aggression. For this reason, it would be inmature for any government to ignore national defence completely.
However, spending too much on defense can create problems. tension and fear rather than promote safety. At the same time, heavy defense spending often means less money for education, healthcare, and social services at home.
Foreign aid, on the other hand, can reduce the causes of conflict in the first place. When wealthy countries provide aid they help create more stable and peaceful societies. In the long run, this can actually improve global security more effectively than weapons can.
So the two optios aids or defences are good but if I will choose on I would choose defence because is important more than the aids.
I think that both personal defence and international aid are very important. I believe this because countries need to spent in defence in case they suffer an attack and they also need to gave money to help countries that a have a good relationship with them .
The United States of America spent 962 million of dollars in personal defence and gave 1200 million for international aid .
I think Foreign aid should be more important than increasing defence spending because helping other countries can stop problems before they become bigger. When countries face poverty, natural disasters or any conflict these are not going to stay in one place. They can spread to other countries through migration or any other economic problems.
For example programs that give people clean water, education and healthcare help improve their lives. These programs reduce diseases create better job opportunities and lower social tensions. When the main causes of problems are solved early countries may not need expensive military actions later.
I am not saying here that defence is not important. Every country still needs an army to protect its people. But defence alone cannot solve global problems. Weapons cannot stop hunger, floods or diseases.
Foreign aid can actually work together with defence. When countries become safer and more stable there is less chance of war or conflict. To conclude, helping other countries today can make the world safer for everyone in the future.
I believe that countries should not decrease foreign aid,so therefore they should not use it to improve defence.Foreign aid can be used in many different ways like to help with economy,health and technical assistance.It's main focus is to support people in need.It is more useful than defence expenditure for defence helps to prevent threats,help back away from conflict and help military but aid can also play a crucial by also helping military,help with economical threats and cyber attacks.Foreign aid can also help with mental and physical health.
It is more helpful as it can be used in many different way significantly which should be a better recourses.
I believe that countries should not decrease foreign aid,so therefore they should not use it to improve defence.Foreign aid can be used in many different ways like to help with economy,health and technical assistance.It's main focus is to support people in need.It is more useful than defence expenditure for defence helps to prevent threats,help back away from conflict and help military but aid can also play a crucial by also helping military,help with economical threats and cyber attacks.Foreign aid can also help with mental and physical health.
It is more helpful as it can be used in many different way significantly which should be a better recourses.
I believe that countries should not decrease foreign aid,so therefore they should not use it to improve defence.Foreign aid can be used in many different ways like to help with economy,health and technical assistance.It's main focus is to support people in need.It is more useful than defence expenditure for defence helps to prevent threats,help back away from conflict and help military but aid can also play a crucial by also helping military,help with economical threats and cyber attacks.Foreign aid can also help with mental and physical health.
It is more helpful as it can be used in many different way significantly which should be a better recourses.
I believe we should be maintaining current defence, and alternatively using aid. While that may be true, it is also important to consider that others will disagree with me, so here is my reasoning from both perspectives.
Some say, that giving aid shows kindness and by doing so, you will gain trust and respect.For example, if you just keep giving aid to a country who don’t need aid and if it repeatedly happens, the consequences would be that countries will not trust or respect you, countries would exclude you, embarrass you or even insult you just because of the absurd decisions you made in the past.To stop the outcome, you can give aid to a countries like Ukraine, who are at war and will benefit from the aid.Now, the outcome of this scenario would be that you’ll be respected and trusted more on your decisions and other leaders would include you as well as respecting and trusting you.Remember, some leaders use their power for evil and if you give to a certain country (e.g.) for a good cause, the leader of that country might use it for wrong, even though they might be at war.
While, some argue that we need to increase our defence and maintain aid to ourselves.People might say that you’re being ‘unkind’ to leaders because you’re not giving aid and EARNING trust and respect, but what about I told you that you can keep increasing your defence and earn trust and respect simultaneously.Strengthening your defence and standing on your own, actually strengthens the respect countries have for you and if you stand to your decisions each time there is debate, people will trust you more.
In my opinion, first aid is the help that someone gives to a person who is injured or suddenly becomes ill before professional medical help arrives. It is important because it can prevent the injury from getting worse and sometimes even save a person’s life. For example, first aid can include cleaning and covering a cut, putting ice on a swelling, helping someone who has fainted, or doing CPR if someone stops breathing. First aid is usually given at the scene of an accident or emergency until doctors, nurses, or paramedics can take over.
In my opinion, defence is about protecting yourself or others from danger, harm, or an attack. Defence can mean using skills or actions to stay safe and avoid being hurt. For example, people might learn self-defence techniques, call for help, move away from danger, or block someone who is trying to harm them. Defence focuses on safety and protection rather than treating injuries like first aid does.
In my opinion, both first aid and defence are important because they help keep people safe in different ways. Defence helps prevent harm from happening, while first aid helps take care of someone if an injury or emergency has already happened.
I believe that countries should not decrease aid money,so therefore they should not use it to improve defence.Foreign aid can help many different ways economically, mentally and physically and for technical assistance.It helps significantly and majority of people need it for endorse,standards of living and for preventing some cyber attacks.It supports very well in some standards that are poor and don't have money.It supports with well being and health so that people who don't have a good enough health can be provided in a way that can make people safe,comfortable and reassured.It can even raise judicious relationships. In contrast,defence expenditure can also play an important role by defending military and keep nations safe by shielding dangerous threats.It may not be good in bringing stability and peace but it does defend the people in a country which we need to acknowledge.It does help in different ways to like foreign aid by protecting territory,attriting enemy forces and prevent harm and current threats.Though defence can be useful, aid is better for health,wealth ,education and living.
In conclusion,defence purpose is to defend countries and prevent attacks but foreign aid responsibility is to support in levels that are poor.In my opinion defence and aid should work together .
I think that aid is more than defence because helping people In a crisis can prevent problems from becoming bigger. When countries support others with things like food medicine and education it reduces suffering and even conflicts from getting worse. I believe this because research shows when communities have support they are less likely to fall into instability or violence. For example after natural disasters aid helps people build their lives- and without it desperation can lead to more conflict. So by helping others early countries can actually the world safer for everyone including themselves.