Author: Paul Sonne
Published on: 05/02/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:
Foreign Strongmen Cheer as Musk Dismantles U.S. Aid Agency Leaders in Russia, Hungary and El Salvador welcomed the Trump administration’s assault on U. S.A.I.D. The Kremlin was, too. Democracy initiatives amounted to $1.58 billion of U.S.A.I.D. Funding in 2023, a sliver of the agency’s annual budget. But they can attract outsize attention. Mr. Orban — who met in December with Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk — and other foreign officials have persisted in asking the government to end such programs. In 2023, the agency provided more than $1.9 billion in food aid. The agency also delivers vaccines, H.I.V. Treatment and childbirth care, and combats malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases. Mr. Trump signed an executive order ordering a halt to aid so that the government could review programs. A withdrawal of U.S. Aid would benefit the Kremlin, some analysts say. Elsewhere in the world, particularly in nations where Washington and Beijing have been competing, China could fill the void. The Trump administration has portrayed U. S.A.I.D. Programs as an example of liberal culture run amok, and of government waste. Iranian state media have labeled these funds and groups as “C.I.A. Operatives” to discredit them. Some of Mr. Musk’s comments were indistinguishable from those that Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the lower house of the Russian Parliament, made on Telegram on Wednesday. The broadside against the agency in Washington has led some to wonder if European governments or private donors will step in to pay. Paul Sonne is an international correspondent, focusing on Russia and the varied impacts of President Vladimir V. Putin’s domestic and foreign policies. The Dark Side of a Lobster Fight: As Canada wrangles an epic, decades-long saga of who can fish for lobster, and when emerging threats are heating up the conflict in Nova Scotia. Where Divinity and Politics Meet: The Maha Kumbh Mela is a powerful marketing tool for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his allies.
Original: 1730 words
Summary: 333 words
Percent reduction: 80.75%