On The Impact Of Modernization Theory On US Foreign Aid Policy After The Cold War

The modernization theory,which was born in the middle of the 20th century,can be said to have laid the theoretical foundation for the U.S.foreign aid policy on underdeveloped regions.With the failure of the Vietnam War,the reform program of the U.S.for the Third World fell into a dilemma,and the modernization theory was put into retreat for a while.It not only gradually lost its basic status as the dominant official policy concept,but also suffered multiple criticisms and challenges in the academic field.However,the modernization theory has not completely died down,especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union,this theory has gradually become more and more brilliant.Looking at the foreign aid policies of the Clinton administration,the Bush administration and the Obama administration,we can all find the shadow of modernization theory.In addition,if we carefully observe the foreign aid policies of successive U.S.administrations after the Cold War,although American aid has never deviated from the “modernization” track with “development” as its core,the influence of the modernization theory applied to the U.S.foreign aid policy varies to different degrees in terms of the amount of aid and the way of aid.From this we may have a question: to what extent and why does the modernization theory,which was the basis of limited policies during the Cold War,still play a role in U.S.foreign aid policy in the post-Cold War era?What conditions and factors maintain(or hinder)the influence of modernization theory on American foreign aid policy?The article believes that,from a macro level,the modernization theory with comprehensive,multi-level and dynamic concepts is highly compatible with the concept of liberal internationalism.Liberal internationalism advocates the world peace through the promotion of internal and external regulations.On the basis of recognizing the core values of liberal internationalism,the modernization theory summarizes the paradigm,provides the value principles,action objectives,and implementation path logic of the aid policy,and further promotes its scientific and institutionalized development in a systematic.The policy requirement brought by the objective environment and the U.S.government's own policy tendency are the important conditions that affect the role of modernization theory in the U.S.foreign aid policy.The former depends on the United States' perception of security threats,while the latter is closely related to the ruling party's beliefs.Only by doing both can the modernization theory play a powerful role in American foreign aid policy.