Merger of security and development is often presented as something new. However, Western (imperial) development policy has always had a security dimension. According to Duffield : As far back as the 19th century. During the Cold War the security functions of aid (albeit traditional security functions) were clear with development serving as a tool to prevent newly independent states becoming security threats to the west, either in their own right or as allies of the Soviet bloc.
For example in setting out the Truman doctrine President Truman noted in 1947 that the poverty experienced by half the world’s population was a handicap and threat to both them and the prosperous areas’