Road to Hell: Amazon.co.uk: Mic Maren: Books

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Product Description

Synopsis
Argues that corrupt politicians use humanitarian aid to control the people it was intended to help.

From the Author
London Review of Books
A devastating portrayal of aid agencies drunk on government largesse and indifferent to actual needs and to the impact of their assistance.— London Review of Books

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16 Reviews

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4 star:		(5)
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4.1 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Maren extrapolates a bit from limited experience in Somalia., 10 Jul 1999

By A Customer

Maren does a good job of smearing the UN system, US foreign policy directions, and corrupt officials of the developing world. He does less well when it comes to the private international aid organizations, whose evisceration seems to be his primary aim.

He targets mainly CARE and Save the Children, two vastly different organizations. The blunders and witting or unwitting contributions to the problems of Somalia made by CARE and the other large NGOs are not in the same category as the problems associated with sponsorship.

He should probably have trained his sights more carefully on one or the other problem. Instead we get a scattershot denunciation of all attempts at aid, as patronizing, self-serving, and ultimately destructive.

Some of the 'facts' he uses to support his case are patently flawed--especially his discussion of the PL480 program and his definitions of Title I, Title II and Title III. This may be academic, but these mistakes undermine some of his broader points.

Finally, while I agree most wholeheartedly about the apathy and ignorance--bordering on criminal neglect--which is rife within the UN system, I think his tar-brush is a bit too ambitious when it comes to the overall picture of international aid.

I fully support his recommendation, at the end of the penultimate chapter, that an independent body be established to accredit organizations who are actually doing good, and to channel donors toward them as the most hopeful targets of resources. My fear is that probably the largest organizations in existence today wouldn't make the list, and some of the smaller, more professional ones, when injected with so much donor capital, will become bloated and ineffective, much as the big ones are today.

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A compulsory read for an informed opinion, 20 Feb 2006

By	Mr. D. Tremellen "Conservation Joinery" (Bridgnorth, Shropshire, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Road to Hell: The Ravaging Effects of Foreign Aid and International Charity (Paperback)

I came to this book via Paul Theroux's 'Dark Star Safari' and his observations of the foreign aid paradox. Having previously read Romeo Dallaire's 'Shake Hands With The Devil' (commanding general of UN troops in Rwanda up to and during the genocide) I was beginning to feel uneasy about UN and other NGO involvement in developing countries. This book, together with 'Lords Of Poverty', both written by people who can speak with total authority on the aid industry, for such it is, turned unease into a healthy scepticism that questions the bona fides of every well-intentioned media celebrity, government minister, UN spokesperson, to appeal to our consciences and take our money. That's what all these books are about, and the title, taken from: "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."? The question is, whose? This books answers that.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More important and relevant than ever, 7 Jun 1999

By A Customer

With the Balkan humanitarian crisis shaping U.S. military and foreign policies, it is important to understand that humanitarians comprise a lobby and interest group as much as any "industry." This book points out many of the mistakes of past, and places humanitarian gestures in fascinating perspective. In addition, with the news that UNICEF projects in Bangladesh may be responsible for the deaths of 30 million people, it is so important that we learn the important lesson of this book: Our help often hurts. This book is extremely well written, and a compelling read.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Dose of Truth
The author is well qualified to report on the subject as someone who was part of the African aid-mafia before seeing it for what it really is. Read more

Published on 30 Jun 2004 by Seb M

1.0 out of 5 stars I don't even know what to say about this book because
it doesn't make any sense what so ever

Published on 12 Jul 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening!
If you've ever felt a twinge of guilt when you turn the page on a starving child in one of those Save the Children ads, this book is must reading. Read more

Published on 2 Jul 1999

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting reading, emotional hype, faulty reasoning
Mr. Maren provides an interesting look into the impact of aid in Somalia and into the operation of Save the Children (subjects not obviously related). Read more

Published on 11 May 1999

3.0 out of 5 stars Good start, interest faded
First off, I think this book should be retitled to reflect that 95% of the information is on Somalia and the charities & aid organisations there. Read more

Published on 1 Mar 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars A Stunning Achievement
Beyond the shocking information this book provides about the state of charity, the quality of mercy, and the contradictions of human nature, it is a stunning literary achievement... Read more

Published on 15 Jun 1998

4.0 out of 5 stars Inciteful and Informative
I really liked this book. It gives alot of first hand accounts of the problems with international aid. Read more

Published on 24 April 1998

4.0 out of 5 stars The Truth Hurts
This tale of misguided and misapplied aid is a definite eye-opener. Its veracity is undeniable. The cases cited are convincingly presented, and the author gives a fair picture... Read more

Published on 18 Mar 1998

4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended Reading!
This book has changed the way I think about foreign aid. Maren shows how much of our so-called help is really the effort to control other cultures or make a little money. Read more

Published on 4 Mar 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars Too much Sensationalism Just to Sell A book
While some of of the arguments made against international relief by Mr. Maren in his book are correct, he goes a bit too far in damning the whole aid sector just by using a few,... Read more

Published on 1 Mar 1998

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	49% buy the item featured on this page: Road to Hell 4.1 out of 5 stars (16)
	20% buy The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill And So Little Good 4.5 out of 5 stars (8) �6.29
	16% buy The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It 4.6 out of 5 stars (31) �5.99
	16% buy The Trouble with Africa: Why Foreign Aid Isn't Working 4.0 out of 5 stars (2) �9.99


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