Because they were not "terrorists," the Canadian government entered into negotiations, offering to build a school or provide development aid in exchange for Lindhout's release.
"When we provide development aid to Africa or we are involved in conflict resolution in areas where war has been taking place, [or] we make investments to try to deal with climate change … these things we do not do just for charity, not just because it's the right thing to do or out of kindness.
Rather than provide development assistance indefinitely, foreign aid donors increasingly seek to help communities sustainably provide local public goods themselves.
So, leaders need to provide development opportunities.
Last year, the Bush administration provided $403 million in development aid to the Palestinian government in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the form of public works projects and other programs managed mostly by nongovernmental organizations.
An alternative argument focuses upon external attempts to uphold international norms, through global information flows, providing technical assistance and development aid, and monitoring elections.
For years, Israeli authorities have prevented us from meeting with Palestinians in Gaza and witness the situation for ourselves, despite the need to assess the humanitarian and development aid provided by the European Union and European governments that keeps Gaza afloat.
Conceptualizing development aid within an information infrastructure perspective provides compelling insights into why such aid programs have less than optimal results, and why there is a mismatch between what is promised and the reality on the ground.
There are other critical forms of development aid that do things cash transfers can't, like provide public goods (vaccines, health clinics and roads, for instance) or transfer knowledge and skills.
Development aid isn't reaching the poorest.
