Canada's The Walrus published on 1 April 2025 an article titled "The Messy, Brutal, Unthinkable Collapse of USAID" by Maya Elhawary.
The article describes the systematic dismantlement of the US Agency for International Development and what it may portend for the future of global foreign assistance.
The Council on Foreign Relations published on 6 February 2025 a commentary titled "The Cost of the Trump Administration's Foreign Aid Debacle" by Larry Garber, former USAID mission director to the West Bank and Gaza.
This is a thoughtful look by a former senior USAID official at the implications of dismantling the organization. It also highlights some of the positive initiatives made by former USAID administrator Mark Green (former Republican Representative from Wisconsin) during the first Trump administration when the agency was apparently not run by "radical lunatics."
Foreign Policy published on 5 February 2025 a commentary titled "Chaos at USAID, Explained" by John Haltiwanger and Christina Lu.
USAID has effectively been shuttered and a decision apparently made to move what is left into the State Department. The only winners here are China and Russia.
Comment: As a 37-year veteran of the State Department, I predict that moving what is left of USAID into State will do even more harm to US foreign policy than the move in 1999 of the United States Information Service into State, which is not equipped to handle either function with the skill that it requires. Even if Congress and/or the courts block this ill-advised decision, much damage has already been done to US global interests.
This is a one hour and 15-minute Beyond Africa podcast with me hosted by Bernard Ngalim. The major issues discussed are the impact of the upcoming election in the United States on Africa policy, Project 2025 and Africa, trade, aid, investment, and the role of the U.S. private sector.
Tigrai Press posted on 28 July 2024 a one-hour podcast with me hosted by Bisrat Kebede. The conversation focuses initially on the election campaign between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, implications of the election for Africa policy, and Project 2025. The remainder of the podcast deals with many of the ongoing issues in the Horn of Africa.
