Opinion | Gutting U.S.A.I.D. Was a Disaster. Here Is How to Move Forward.
The dismantling of U.S.A.I.D.was contemptible for so many reasons, not least of which that it was based on false claims and puts millions of the world’s most vulnerable at risk.
If you think the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan was bad, consider the chaos and death since this administration’s abrupt withdrawal from the entire world.Instead of winding down projects responsibly, the U.S.
government left like a thief in the night, owing money, breaking promises and abandoning American aid workers in conflict zones.Although a federal judge on Tuesday cast U.S.A.I.D.a temporary lifeline, foreign aid as we knew it is gone.
While some contracts might be brought back under the State Department, it’s unlikely that the U.S.government — the largest donor in the world, according to recent data — will soon restore its foreign aid to the level it was.
That doesn’t mean the rest of us should give up trying to help other nations.Those who care about the world and America’s role in it need to create a new vision for what foreign aid could be.It’s early days in the effort to reimagine aid, but this much is clear: It should be leaner and less bureaucratic.
It should be based on partnerships that respond to local needs, not pronouncements from Washington.And it will sometimes be fueled by private donations rather than taxpayer dollars.
A public discussion has already begun.For instance, Unlock Aid, a group that has been trying to reform foreign aid for years, is unveiling a series of new ideas this month.The first step is acknowledging that the old system had flaws.
To be sure, millions of lives were saved during famines and epidemics.But let’s be honest.
U.S.A.I.D.could be inefficient and wasteful.
It’s hard to talk about that because such acknowledgments get misused as weapons against foreign aid, but building a better blueprint requires it.Part of the blame lies with Congress, which loaded up U.S.A.I.D.with burdensome regulations.
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