Where International Development Has Succeeded or Failed
from The Unpopular View with Michael Brown Hosted by Michael Brown
AIDS arrested. Ebola contained. Malaria deaths cut in half. That wasn't charity — it was the international system protecting everyone, including Americans. You don't defund the firebreak while the forest is still burning. But if this system can deliver vaccines to millions of children, why can't it secure land tenure for a single farming community? Outside of health, the record is much harder to defend. Top-down agriculture programs that distorted markets. Governance efforts that may have made corruption worse. Conservation and Nature-based Solutions designed by outsiders, funded by outsiders — with communities displaced from their own land and promised trickle-down benefits that rarely materialize. The labels change. The paradigm doesn't. Same hubris — the assumption that Washington, London, and Geneva know best — just wearing a different suit. That doesn't build resilience. It builds dependency. By design. Episode 2 of The Outsider's Hubris. Disclaimer: The Unpopular View with Michael Brown is independently owned and produced by Michael Brown. PulsePoint Media Atelier LLC serves solely as the distribution and promotional partner for this podcast. All content, opinions, and intellectual property rights remain the exclusive property of the creator(s). No part of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. © 2026 Michael Brown & The Unpopular View. All rights reserved.
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