A policy of indifference
As we all know, US President Donald Trump is an Israeli settlement advocate, a champion of annexing territories ranging from Greenland to Canada, and a proponent of tariffs on China. He is also a president who is indifferent to the plight of populations in the developing world. No more is this evident than in his protégé Elon Musk's decision to suspend global USAID programmes as part of his Make America Great Again (MAGA) agenda. As an independent agency responsible for administering and delivering foreign aid and assistance, USAID has been critical for the socioeconomic development of countries that are not only impoverished, but also suffer from severe governance challenges, lack of robust disaster management mechanisms, and the ability to cope with communicable diseases.
The Trump administration has turned a deaf ear to such contributions and is pursuing its narrow, parochial interests instead. It has announced significant changes to the agency amid a complete, near-total freeze on all foreign aid being instrumentalised.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. All this points to US apathy for the suffering of people in Latin America, Africa and Asia, and bodes ill for world peace and multilateralism.
Reversing a legacy
USAID is a product of an executive order by President John F Kennedy, who sought to unite all US foreign assistance programmes under one agency. It also has a decentralised network operating in over 100 countries, primarily in the developing world, including Eastern Europe. With a budget of over $50 billion, it is one of the largest aid agencies in the world, despite allegations of conducting political operations abroad, being involved in forced sterilisations in Peru, and engaging in wasteful spending. The agency has been a symbol of US multilateralism, goodwill, and commitment towards addressing the developing world's existential challenges.
Trump's USAID rollback dents US credibility on the world stage and can disillusion allies in Europe, who are now caught up in the crosshairs of his aid rollouts for the developing world. This move also threatens to have other countries, such as China, upstage the US, given that in 2023, the US was the world's largest humanitarian donor, accounting for nearly a third of global aid.
Pushing the world towards further chaos
However, Trump remains adamant and defiant with his nationalist policy.
His administration's decision to suspend USAID—on the pretext of cutting spending on high-impact foreign assistance programmes—is both baffling and disturbing. Many countries falling under the ambit of USAID operations continue to witness crippling issues such as a lack of socioeconomic development, brutal internal conflicts, and the pernicious effects of climate change. These realities have worsened over the years due to global shockwaves being sent down because of heightened political polarisation and economic turmoil. Afghanistan, for example, which is a major recipient of funding from USAID, is reeling from abject poverty and security quagmires under the Taliban government despite decades of US military intervention and constructive engagement. To cut a key source of aid that contributes to public goodwill in countries like Afghanistan, is hence catastrophic, leaving entire local populations without any relief and to fend for themselves.
But the "America First" priority for the Trump administration doest not serve the entire population of the nation either. Rather, it's the upper class, largely the White segment of American society, that is set to benefit from tax cuts as his government turns its back on spending on public welfare. His policies of cutting aid agencies abroad will also have domestic implications as they will contribute to greater income inequality in the US. The elitist constituency, however, remains the key to Trump's fortunes as he seeks to alienate the Democrats, the egalitarians, the peaceniks, and the reformists as "threats" to his presidency.
The Republican House and Senate causing chaos and major disruption across the world will not stop Trump or his supporters, despite aid agencies scrambling to mitigate damages caused to life-saving programmes and more. Unemployment as a result of aid agencies shutting down is also bound to soar, and with limited access to unemployment benefits and welfare, poverty under Trump will increase in the US. Development contractors predict that up to 3,000 development professionals in Washington DC could lose their jobs as aid organisations try to survive 90 days without US funding. Globally, such policies put both US nationals overseas and vulnerable populations across Africa, Latin America and Asia in a more unprotected situation in the face of transnational crimes, diseases, and conflict.
There is also a moral question involved that the Trump administration has successfully evaded. Historically, US military and political interventions, whether in Libya, Iraq or Afghanistan, necessitate US policies that cater to the needs of the local populations at the receiving end of war and destitution. By not paying heed to this precedent, the Trump administration would lose the "moral ground" that the US has so desperately touted to assert its "greatness" while competing with countries such as China and Russia. That will not be the case anymore, as Trump's populism believes in keeping societies and infrastructures crippled in the absence of reform and equitable governance. US partnerships with different countries, which were anchored in life-saving global partnerships, will be jeopardised. The ounce of morality and social responsibility in US foreign policy is now removed; the ripple effects are already being felt, but the administration is indifferent to the woes of the people they consider as "others."
Hamzah Rifaat is a consultant specialising in gender and conflict, governance, development and addressing inclusivity challenges around the world. He is senior expert at Initiate Futures, a think tank.
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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