The Truth of the Matter What's Happening to USAID?
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Feb 6, 2025 Noam Unger, the Director of the CSIS Sustainable Development and Resilience Initiative, delves into the precarious state of USAID and its implications for U.S. foreign policy. He discusses a recent executive order that halted foreign assistance, causing confusion within the agency. Unger highlights how the agency is crucial for global health and humanitarian efforts, emphasizing potential geopolitical risks posed by its operational decline. The conversation also covers the interplay of USAID with emerging powers like China and Russia, alongside evolving foreign assistance strategies.
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USAID's Importance
- USAID projects US foreign policy and values globally by partnering with local communities.
- This "soft power" approach distinguishes it from diplomacy, though they interlock.
USAID's Impact
- USAID staff work in dangerous environments, sometimes alongside the military, as evidenced by a memorial wall at headquarters.
- Their work includes water security, education, public health (like Ebola and PEPFAR), saving millions of lives.
Polarization of USAID
- USAID has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support, stemming from initiatives like PEPFAR under George W. Bush.
- Increased polarization and misinformation, fueled by isolationist views, now threaten this consensus.