They Take The Money And Go: Why Not Everyone Is Mourning The End Of Usaid

When Donald Trump set about dismantling USAID, many around the world were shocked. But on the ground in Sierra Leone, the latest betrayal was not unexpected Earlier this year, Donald Trump appointed a 28-year-old Doge alumnus, Jeremy Lewin, to oversee his administrations approach to global aid. Lewins primary task has been to gut the USs aid funding. In an interview with , Lewin argued that the traditional approach, which he termed the global humanitarian complex, didnt help poor countries progress beyond aid, instead keeping them dependent. The system, he continued, has demonstrably failed. This isnt just the Trump administrations view. For decades, there has been a robust debate in academic and policy circles, discussed over drinks by development practitioners, written about by critical economists and postcolonial independence leaders, and percolating into the broader consciousness, that aid isnt working, or at least not as promised. When the news of Trumps USAID cuts broke this year, President told the Financial Times that cuts in aid were long overdue and would force countries such as his to take care of our own affairs.