It is sometimes argued that, since it is impossible to help everyone in the world, governments ought to concentrate solely on their own citizens. While I accept that a government's first duty is to its own people, I disagree that it should ignore those beyond its borders entirely.
There is, admittedly, a reasonable case for prioritising one's own country. Citizens fund the government through their taxes and legitimately expect that money to be spent improving their lives, whether through better hospitals, schools or transport. Moreover, every nation faces pressing domestic challenges, such as poverty and unemployment, and a government that neglected these in order to assist foreigners would rightly be criticised for failing the very people it was elected to serve.
Nevertheless, the conclusion that other countries should simply be abandoned is one I cannot accept. We inhabit a single, interconnected planet, and many of the gravest problems, including pandemics, climate change and armed conflict, pay no heed to national boundaries. When wealthier nations assist poorer ones, the world as a whole becomes more stable and secure, which ultimately benefits the donor country too. There is also a straightforward moral argument: helping those in desperate need is simply the right thing to do.
In my opinion, therefore, a government should indeed look after its own citizens first, but this need not preclude offering reasonable assistance to others when circumstances allow. Overall, I disagree that governments should focus exclusively on their own country, since international cooperation serves the interests of everyone.