There is a basic obligation to assist where genuine need exists. We are prepared to help our neighbor next door or beyond the border or across the ocean. The condition of our neighbor will affect our own condition. Assistance can improve stability which is vital for the wellbeing of our political system. However. very little of our aid goes abroad in form of money: It includes the food for peace program. the Peace Corps. technical assistance. refugee. and disaster activities. To my mind. our foreign aid will always be a bewildering mixture of charity and business. altruism and selfinterest. Third.