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The consequences of using humanitarian aid for geopolitics
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News broke Monday that the U.S. used a Christian aid organization to spy on North Korea, reinvigorating concerns that human assistance may be hurt by suspicions that it's inherently coupled with nefarious intent. - photo by Daniel Bendtsen
Nonprofits that deliver international aid sometimes face the distrust of the very people they want to help a stigma that Western money comes with ulterior motives.

Even though it suffers from terrible poverty, the African country of Eritrea banned foreign aid this year because of that suspicion. President Isaias Afworki said that "aid is meant to cripple people."

The fears of some developing countries will likely be exacerbated by an investigative report published Monday by The Intercept, which found that the Pentagon spied on North Korea via a Christian aid group that was providing basic humanitarian assistance from 2004 to 2013.

The U.S. had long wanted to gather more intelligence on Pyongyangs nuclear program, but Washington had no espionage presence inside North Korea that is, until it forged a relationship with Kay Hiramine, CEO of Humanitarian International Services Group, who had his aid workers unwittingly smuggle in equipment that allowed the U.S. to both measure nuclear anomalies and disrupt North Korean military devices, according to The Intercept.

The use of aid work to advance Western interests has happened before, and remains controversial within the development community.

Sam Worthington, president of the NGO association InterAction, told The Intercept that the U.S. manipulation of aid workers violates international principles and jeopardizes legitimate aid and development workers, he said.

In 2011, the CIA hijacked a vaccination program to help gather intelligence on the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden. It worked, according to National Geographic, but when the news broke, the programs doctor landed in prison, and since bin Ladens death, the Taliban has assassinated medical professionals working on polio eradication.

Along with the risk to aid workers themselves, another concern is that these actions by the U.S. make it harder to administer aid at all. The vaccination scheme fostered anti-vaccine sentiment in Pakistan, which led to a resurgence of polio.

In the last decade, nearly a billion dollars have been disbursed in Pakistan via U.S.A.I.D., yet The New York Times reported last month that it has had little impact on the ground, in large part because this money is often used to advance American business interests.

Critics accuse the agency of taking on projects with little consideration for local priorities and being over-reliant on American contractors with little development experience, according to The Times, which added that these problems are exacerbated by anti-Americanism.

There is also this deep-seated suspicion that this aid whatever the objectives are kind of subject to the U.S. foreign policys short-term goals, said Raza Rumi, a fellow of the National Endowment of Democracy, which does development work in Pakistan.

The Times reported that development work by China, which is much more politically hands-off in its foreign aid policy, has been much more effective in Pakistan for this reason.

The debate over politics and foreign aid could ultimately be over trade-offs between short-term and long-term prosperity. If the aid community rejected all politics, developing countries could be more receptive of international help; but if the aid community embraces politics, it could lead to better government in countries receiving aid.

In 2013, Bolivian President Evo Morales accused U.S.A.I.D. of conspiring against his government and expelled the organization from his country. In response, Foreign Policy magazine argued that although such actions are unfortunate, its still natural and necessary for international aid to play politics. During the middle of the 20th century, NGOs sought to detach themselves from all geopolitics, but by the 1990s, donors accumulated considerable knowledge about how to make a positive political difference and naturally embraced the idea that governance failures in aid-receiving countries were often at the core of disappointing socioeconomic results.

Building schools and providing textbooks without paying attention to a governments willingness and capacity to manage educational finances cleanly, hold teachers accountable, and ensure equal access to education is not a recipe for success, Thomas Carothers and Diane de Gramont of Foreign Policy argued. And providing support to a government without attention to its human rights record or practices of social inclusion is not likely to win durable friends, as the case of Egypt under Mubarak so vividly demonstrates."
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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