I have decided to remove this post, as my perspective has evolved following a review of the global economic competition involving the United States.
USAID’s freeze has thrust the entire global aid system into uncertainty
The EU and China may fill the aid vacuum left by Trump’s aid cuts...
"The Trump administration’s decision to suspend USAID workers for 90 days and pause most of its international aid work has rocked the foundations of the global aid system. The move, which has sparked outrage in the international community, threatens to destabilise vulnerable regions and halt decades of progress in economic development, health, and human rights...
The EU could be key to mitigating the impact of USAID’s shutdown. However, in 2021 the Commission switched from a more traditional model of development aid to one of global partnerships.
Through its Global Gateway Initiative, it has pledged investments of €300 billion in sectors such as health, infrastructure and sustainability between 2021 and 2027. The EU now has the geostrategic opportunity to prove itself as a reliable alternative at a critical moment.
China has emerged in recent decades as another rising alternative in international aid. Through its Belt and Road initiative, it has significantly increased its investment and presence in Africa and Latin America, though in some cases, its excessive funding has been criticised as “debt-trap diplomacy”.
The withdrawal of USAID presents China with an opportunity to further expand its soft power in emerging and low-income regions by providing funding and assistance to countries that were previously dependent on the US."
Universities pay the price of transnational paranoia
President Donald Trump’s administration is attacking higher education on multiple fronts, pursuing draconian and rapid dismantling and injury to major public institutions without much thought or concern about the social and economic consequences to American colleges and universities as well as the nation’s economy...
https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20250812115733228&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=COMMNL8048