Can China's Internet Programs Catch Up to Elon Musk's Starlink?

 Swarajya, an Indian right-wing monthly magazine, published on 23 July 2025 an article titled "Xi Jinping's Starlink Challenge Stalls as China's Satellite Constellation Projects Face Launch Bottlenecks; India's Private Sector Advances."

Elon Musk's Starlink, the pioneering satellite internet service, faces competition from China's state-led Guowang and the Shanghai-backed Qianfan.  Musk's Starlink has launched more than 7,000 satellites providing connectivity to over five million customers in more than 100 countries.

Both of the Chinese projects face delays caused by rocket shortages, sluggish deployment rates, and internal competition.  As of July 2025, Guowang had launched only about 40 satellites in a program that envisages a network of over 13,000 that will provide high-speed internet for civilian and military use.

Qianfan, also known as SpaceSail and G60 Starlink, is backed by the Shanghai municipal government and plans to have 15,000 satellites by 2030.  To date, it has launched about 90 satellites and at least 17 of them have failed to reach their intended orbits.  State-backed Guowang receives launch priority, repeatedly pushing Qianfan to the sidelines.  

These problems in China's satellite programs may be alleviated, however, as Xi Jinping has reportedly instructed the People's Liberation Army to accelerate space-based communication systems in order to build a Chinese alternative to Starlink.  

Comment:  All of this has important implications for the Global South, and especially Africa, where Starlink has been slow to take hold and Chinese competition could challenge it.    

Postmortem on Dismantling of USAID

 The Hill Published on 20 July 2025 an article titled "A Postmortem on the Dismantling of USAID" by Glenn C. Altschuler, Cornell University.  

The Trump administration cancelled 83 percent of USAID's programs and laid off 94 percent of its 4,500 employees, transferring the few remaining staff to the State Department.  The author concluded that the dismantling of USAID has already had a negative impact on the lives of tens of millions of vulnerable people in 130 countries and undermined US national interest.

What Remains of USAID?

 The New York Times published on 22 June 2025 an article titled "What Remains of U.S.A.I.D.?" by Amy Schoenfeld Walker, Malika Khurana, and Christine Zhang.

The USAID projects that survived DOGE dismantlement of the agency are the result of pleas and negotiations of a few politically important people, many of whom had little experience in foreign aid.  Some 891 programs constituting 14 percent of the previous total and $69 billion survived and will be administered by the State Department.  DOGE cancelled USAID projects worth $76 billion over several years.

There was no comprehensive review of previous programs.  The focus going forward is addressing acute disease, hunger, and other humanitarian emergencies.  The State Department does not have the staff, resources, or expertise to oversee the programs that survived DOGE cuts.  

Fourteen Days that Doomed USAID

 The New York Times published on 22 June 2025 an article titled "Missteps, Confusion and 'Viral Waste': The 14 Days that Doomed USAID" by Christopher Flavelle, Nicholas Nehamas, and Julie Tate.

This is the detailed story of the 14 days that it took Elon Musk, the DOGE team, and the Trump administration to dismantle the US Agency for International Development.  

Waste in Africa Because of Dismantlement of USAID

 The New York Times published on 21 June 2025 a commentary titled "The Waste Musk Created" by Nicolas Kristof.  

The article provides examples of waste in US government financed programs in Africa because of the dismantlement of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), not the existence of USAID.

Dismantlement of USAID Has Resulted in Deaths But Numbers Are Not Known

 The New York Times published on 30 May 2025 a commentary titled "Elon Musk's Legacy Is Disease, Starvation and Death" by Michelle Goldberg.

Elon Musk's DOGE terminated more than 80 percent of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) grants and dismantled the foreign aid agency.  One estimate places the number of deaths as a result of these decisions already at 300.000.  Secretary of State Marco Rubio insists there have been no deaths.

Comment:  It is impossible to know how many deaths have occurred as a result of ending or cutting back USAID's life saving foreign aid programs.  But anyone with extensive experience in the Global South, especially Africa, knows there have been deaths and the death rate will almost certainly increase going forward so long as these cuts remain in place. 

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration Dismantlement of US Institute of Peace

 The Associated Press published on 19 May 2025 an article titled "Judge Bars Trump Administration from Shutting Peace Institute that Sought to End Violent Conflicts" by Gary Fields.

A US District Court judge blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with the dismantling of the US Institute of Peace in Washington.  The judge ruled that the think tank was created and funded by Congress and was taken over illegally by DOGE through "blunt force backed up by law enforcement officers from three separate local and federal agencies."  The administration has 30 days to appeal.

Comment:  This was one of the most egregious decisions by the Trump administration to dismantle a foreign affairs related organization. Although the administration may appeal the ruling, it probably faces an uphill battle in the case of USIP.   

The Negative Impact of Whacking Foreign Aid

 The Washington Post published on 2 May 2025 an article titled "After 100 Days, the Toll of Trump's Foreign Aid Cuts Has Begun to Sink In" by Sammy Westfall.

The Trump administration has axed more than 80 percent of the programs funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.  The administration is also in the process of slashing the U.S. African Development Foundation, U.S. Institute of Peace, Inter-American Foundation, and Millennium Challenge Corporation.  

The article looks at the impact of these cuts on South Sudan, Ethiopia, Jordan, Tanzania, Eswatini, Lesotho, Afghanistan, and Yemen.  

Comment:  The administration is getting close to ending government-funded soft power, which has traditionally been a major U.S. foreign policy tool.  Although they will not fill the financial void left by the United States, the governments of China and Russia will take very possible advantage of America's departure from these programs.   

How Dismantling U.S. Foreign Policy Institutions Appeases Russia (and China)

 The New York Times published on 26 April 2025 an article titled "How Trump Plays into Putin's Hands from Ukraine to Slashing U.S. Institutions" by Peter Baker.

While the focus of the article in on Trump's Ukraine policy and how it plays into the hands of Vladimir Putin, it also argues that plans to dismantle the following foreign policy organizations have the same effect: National Endowment for Democracy, Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, US Agency for International Development, International Republican Institute, and National Democratic Institute.

Comment:  Institutions in the process of dismantlement that should be added to this list are the U.S. Institute of Peace, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Woodrow Wilson Foundation, and other media services under the U.S. Agency for Global Media such as the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks.  

While Peter Baker's article only deals with the impact on Russia of the elimination of these pro-democracy foreign policy institutions by Elon Musk and the Trump administration, the decisions will be equally welcomed in Beijing.  

The Price of Tossing USAID into the Woodchipper

 The Hill published on 23 April 2025 a commentary titled "USAID Went into the Woodchipper, And We're All Paying a Price" by Jim Kunder, deputy administrator of USAID during the George W. Bush administration.  

Most of the allegations used to dismantle USAID have been proven false.  The furor of the past several months over the destruction of USAID has crystalized awareness that America's foreign aid soft power is critical to national security.

Elon Musk Shuts Down Millennium Challenge Corporation

 Politico published on 23 April 2025 an article titled "DOGE Is Shutting Down Foreign Aid Agency Millennium Challenge Corporation" by Ben Johansen.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is offering voluntary early retirement or deferred resignations to its 320 employees and planning to terminate grants to developing countries.  MCC, which was established by the Bush administration and is independent of the State Department, currently has over $5.4 billion in active grants to 20 lower income countries, many in Africa.  All MCC operations are expected to end within 90 days.  

Comment:  One more ill-conceived decision by the Trump administration.

Marco Rubio Announces State Department Reorganization

 The New York Times published on 22 April 2025 an article titled "Rubio Outlines Drastic Changes at State Department" by Edward Wong and Michael Crowley.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled a sweeping reorganization of the State Department, calling it "bloated, bureaucratic" and "beholden to radical political ideology."  Although Rubio offered few details, some of the changes mirror the draft executive order that has received so much criticism.  Rubio foresees a 15 percent reduction in US-based staff.  

Cutting Foreign Aid Poses Dangers

 CBS published on 20 April 2025 an article titled "The Dangers Posed by Cuts to U.S. Foreign Aid" by Ted Koppel.

The CBS program cites examples of what happens when you eliminate most of what the US Agency for International Development once did.  You may save some money over the short term, but will almost certainly pay a higher price over the long term.  

Secretary Rubio Shuts Down State Department Office on Foreign Disinformation

 The New York Times published on 16 April 2025 an article titled "Trump Aides Close State Dept. Office on Foreign Disinformation" by Edward Wong.  

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has shut down the office that tracks and counters disinformation from foreign actors.  He put all 40 employees in the office on paid leave after firing about 80 contractors last month.  The office focused on disinformation from Russia, China, Iran, and terrorist groups.  He reportedly took this action after complaints that the office allegedly censored conservative ideas.  

More on Proposal to Gut the State Department

 The Associated Press published on 15 April 2025 an article titled "DOGE Associate Is Made Acting Head of Foreign Assistance at the State Department, a US Official Says" by Ellen Knickmeyer and Matthew Lee.

The Office of Management and Budget is recommending major cuts in State Department funding that, if approved, would have the effect of gutting many of its functions.  The proposal must still be vetted within the administration and then go to Congress for approval.  

USAID Dismantlement Causes Chaos in Kenya's Fight Against HIV/AIDS

 The Washington Post published on 14 April 2025 an article titled "'What Is Going to Happen to Us?' Trump's Aid Cuts Upend Kenyans' HIV Fight" by Katharine Houreld.

The dismantlement of USAID has disrupted the flow of assistance for combatting HIV/AIDS in Kenya and other countries.  Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had granted waivers for lifesaving humanitarian assistance, but he issued no blanket exception for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), one of the most successful US assistance programs ever implemented in Africa.  This article describes the impact on Kenyans.    

USAID Terminator at State Department Also Terminated

 The Wall Street Journal published on 13 April 2025 an article titled "Trump Official Who Oversaw Closure of USAID Has Left State Department" by Brian Schwartz and Alexander Ward.  

Pete Marocco, the Trump administration official at the State Department in charge of destroying USAID, has been asked to leave, apparently following disagreements with Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the future of USAID.  It is not clear if Marocco is leaving the administration entirely or will serve in a different position.  

The Personal Carnage Created by DOGE's Dismantlement of USAID

 The Foreign Service Journal published in its April/May 2025 edition an article titled "Lives Upended: The Impact of USAID's Dismantling on Those Who Serve."

The article looks at the lives today of US Agency for International Development personnel who unexpectedly lost their jobs because of ill-considered actions taken by Elon Musk's DOGE.

Reform, Don't Abandon Foreign Aid

 The Hamilton Lugar School at Indiana University posted on 9 April 2025 a commentary titled "Reform Foreign Aid, Don't Abandon It" by Lee H. Hamilton, former Democratic Congressman from Indiana.

Slashing foreign aid is wrong-headed because it is a key tool of foreign policy, the right thing for America to do, and far less costly than most Americans believe.  Foreign aid should be reformed, not eliminated.  

USAID Needed a Scalpel, Not a Chainsaw

 The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal published on 10 April 2025 a commentary titled "Surgery? Yes. Chainsaw? No. How Not to Reform the U.S. Government" by Tibor Nagy, until recently the acting Under Secretary of State for Management.

The author, an eyewitness to the process, explains that reforming the US Agency for International Development required the scalpel of a surgeon, not the chainsaw of a lumber jack.  He takes sharp issue with the approach Elon Musk and DOGE pursued in the dismantlement of the organization.