The Pull Peddlers Summary and Analysis

Rand looks at the foreign aid program in this chapter. Foreign aid programs stem from the belief in a duty to help under-developed nations. If we do not help them, then they will become a threat to us. So nations help them, even if they risk bankruptcy. Why do the powerful nations feel threatened by the underdeveloped nations? Either they are so weak they cannot become a threat or they are powerful enough to be a threat in which case they should not require foreign aid. Neither viewpoint is correct, according to Rand. Rand says societies following the wrong course are using rationalizations to try to justify their decisions and she feels there is no consistency in the foreign aid program and the big loser is the United States.

Lobbying is a way of trying to influence...