Another noteworthy development are rising oil prices from some 10 US-Dollar per barrel in the late 90ies, to some 80 US-Dollar today. At first, rising oil prices led to a significant worsening of trade balances for energy importers, and to considerable trade balance improvements for oil exporters, which were perceived as a mainly cyclical development.
On its own, however, foreign aid may not be sufficient. For it to be effective, it also requires coherent development programs. Large flows of foreign aid, for example, are unlikely to be helpful if they finance unproductive investments or delay needed structural reforms.