Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil

Many of us donate money to help the poor overseas. But what we don’t realize is that, every time we fill up a gas tank, we may be indirectly giving money to hurt the poor overseas—by funding corrupt officials whose source of power is big corporate payoffs, not accountability to their citizens. Such officials, when they don’t simply steal the money, tend to squander it on vanity projects, including military buildup, rather than on education, health, or balanced economic development. Civil wars often break out as regional military leaders make a bid for a piece of the pie.