Serving as one of the most well-known and influential conservative think-tanks within the U.S., the Heritage Foundation has become known in Washington for its championing of ‘free-market’ principles alongside a host of other values, such as limited government, “traditional” values and an independent and “strong” national defence strategy. Recently vocal in its opposition to Obama’s health care reform and environmental legislating, the Foundation has also reserved particular hostility for the notion that U.S. foreign aid can be of significant benefit to U.S. national interests, finding that “rather than focusing on the level of aid, America should focus its efforts