More than a few Americans question the benefit to the United States of humanitarian assistance, such as PEPFAR, and diplomatic interventions to quell conflict in Africa. The idealist would argue that, for fellow human beings, these are the right and moral things to do. The realist would say that such actions help attack pandemics and extremism at the point of origin and keep both from our shores, foster relationships that open markets and opportunities for investment, and create potential allies for those times when U.S. interests require mobilizing international support.
