The brutal manner in which the administration is shutting down USAID is telling of the kind of strategies they will implement going forward. They are relying on a non-governmental entity to do their bidding; they are destroying an institution that is a key part of our government so that they can ensure total loyalty and control; they are acting in extra-legal manner to see if they can get away with it.
Full disclosure. I am a big fan of USAID. They have made a tremendous contribution to improving the lives of people all over the world, particularly of those who were most vulnerable. It has established and maintained a strong network of dedicated professionals who have acquired unequaled experience and commitment in the area of international development, and have conducted essential research on how to make things in developing countries work better – all of which now may be lost. US foreign aid is not only essential for improving the world for others, it represents a reflection of what is good about the US – generosity, compassion, and helpfulness. Here’s a website that has surprisingly not been taken down that provides some notions of what is good about USAID.
Now, another full disclosure. Presently retired, I worked in the field of international development all my professional life. I specifically focussed on helping education systems in development countries – in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. I worked for more than twenty years for the World Bank, which is an international organization and before that, as an independent consultant and as a member of a independent non-profit organization, where I worked on many projects and initiatives that were financed by USAID, always in the education sector. As a result of our work, millions more children go to school (that’s right, millions), hundreds of thousands of teachers teach better, millions of textbooks and other teaching aids ended up in children’s hands, universities have been established, vocational and technical training oppportunities have been created to ready youth for the world of work, and millions more have become literate.
Of course, development assistance could be done more effectively, efficiently, with greater success, with a more sustainable impact, etc. – but who can say otherwise about any field? However, I would never say that such aid should end or that the institutions that have supported it should be dismantled. Many vulnerable people living in many developing countries will be terribly impacted by this freeze. What would be destroyed outweighs by far what would be created. And what exactly would be created? That is the 40 billion dollar question.
What can be done to stop this? What anti-fascist action should be taken in this regard? This is tricky because USAID is not an issue-bound concern and not often a top priority for many. There was a rally in Washington yesterday in support of USAID where senators and Representatives of the House, as well as others came out strongly against the administration’s war on this agency. You may want to call your senator or Representative to voice your own concern. But there must be more we can do.
I am not very happy with the Democratic National Committee in general these days and on this issue in particular. I feel that they should react more fiercely to what the administration is doing, particularly with regards to the dismantling of government institutions, such as USAID. When I go to their site, it seems to only be focused on fund raising and elections rather than organizing resistance now. I guess I’m in a grumbling mood today.
In any case, along other lines, here are a couple of places where you might be able to undertaken your “daily anti-fascist act”. I’m sorry they are not something specific on USAID.
One is Indivisible, which has organized a number of actions in Senator offices around the countries to demand a stop to the dismantling of government. They have virtual events as well. I’m planning to attend one to see what it’s all about.
There is also an organization called Earth Justice: “(which) is the premier nonprofit public interest environmental law organization. (It) wield(s) the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change.” They have a great slogan: “We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.” Politicsgirl speaks highly of this organization.
True-ish Stories 