Who does foreign aid really help?

On January 23rd, President G.W. Bush delivered his annual State of the Union address. His speech included topics such as (but not limited to) the economy, education, Iraq, and AIDS and Africa. Except for Iraq, foreign countries were not a big part of the address. This means that Africa must have some importance to the United States after all. Bush declared: "the number of people receiving life-saving drugs has grown from 50,000 to more than 800,000 in three short years. I ask you to continue funding our efforts to fight HIV/AIDS. I ask you to provide $1.2 billion over five years so we can combat malaria in 15 African countries." Although the amount of people who have access to drugs has tremendously increased, it also has to be noted that 800,000 no longer seems like a successful number when over 20 million Africans are infected by HIV/AIDS. In addition, the combat against malaria is a good attempt to improve health conditions although there will be more than 25 countries left alone to fight this killer disease.
One point Bush made about the aid for Africa was that he wanted it to go to "nations where democracy is on the rise and corruption is in retreat." Many people believe that foreign aid is good no matter what, because it helps poor people and gives them a better chance at living a better life, and perhaps may eventually save a nation from all its troubles. However, when aid is given to countries that have corrupt dictators, it supports these crooks’ regimes. For example, instead of investing the money given to them for their country, they use it to their own benefit to get richer.
President Bush’s point of giving aid to nations where “corruption is in retreat” is one that must not be taken lightly. Giving poor nations aid is a very positive action as long as the money and goods are delivered to the right people. Developed countries and organizations that aid African states should pay close attention to whether the aid is serving its purpose, instead of helping corrupt leaders continue their negative influence.