UAE Helping Joplin Rebuild, Transform

UAE President
Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Photo credit: Wikipedia

According to a recent article in the Washington Post, Joplin, MO is recovering from the devastation of the May 2011 tornado with help from an unlikely source--the United Arab Emirates.

The UAE is spending millions to help the Joplin School District "think big," funding such initiatives as replacing the books (lost in the twister) with MacBooks. While Joplin received millions from the US government for disaster recovery, this is nevertheless an example of a shift in foreign aid disbursement.

From WaPo:

Motivated by the same principal reasons that the U.S. government distributes foreign assistance — to help those less fortunate and to influence perceptions among the recipients — the handouts mark a small but remarkable shift in global economic power.

How does what's happening in Joplin reflect a shift in global power, and what types of power are involved? Is it a good thing that Joplin is taking money from the UAE to recover?

Read the article and share your (reasoned) thoughts in the comments for participation credit.