According to Global Times, on July 1st, former US President Obama and Bush the Younger made a rare joint statement, publicly opposing Trump's decision to shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

On the eve of USAID's official dissolution, two former presidents from the Democratic and Republican parties delivered video messages to the agency's staff, calling this decision "a major setback for America's international image."

Obama stated that Trump's move weakened America's leadership in the world and was a disastrous mistake;

while Bush mentioned that this would not only affect global development cooperation but also harm America's efforts in combating AIDS and humanitarian aid worldwide.

Their statements were widely seen as an unusual cross-party consensus, highlighting the special status of USAID in America's foreign strategy. However, to Trump, this consensus was merely a last struggle of the old order.

USAID Flag

In fact, this agency, which has been so strongly supported by two former presidents, is not a proper institution.

Since the Cold War, USAID has not only been an aid organization but also an important tool for the United States to export ideology and interfere in other countries' internal affairs.

From the color revolutions in Eastern Europe to the political realignments in the Middle East, and the frequent changes in Latin America, the shadow of USAID can be seen behind them all.

Under the guise of "promoting democracy" and "protecting human rights," it funds opposition groups, manipulates election public opinion, and supports the operations of pro-US forces, a practice that has been widely criticized by the international community.

Moreover, in places like Haiti and Afghanistan, its "aid projects" are accused of becoming a means for American companies to make profits, with large amounts of money flowing into American contractors, while the local areas fall deeper into dependence and poverty.

Over the years, more and more developing countries have begun to resist USAID.

Former Presidents Bush and Obama with their spouses

Another point to note is that although USAID's actions against China are not as prominent, they have provided much support to the United States.

It attempts to influence China's public opinion and social structure through third-party outsourcing projects, media collaboration, and cultural exchanges.

On issues concerning Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet, which are core interests of China, USAID has long funded overseas non-governmental organizations, promoting some so-called "civil society projects," which are nominally about social development but have obvious ideological tendencies.

These practices severely interfere with China's domestic affairs and undermine the basic mutual trust in Sino-US relations.

To put it bluntly, this USAID is nothing more than a "color revolution training school" that has long been anti-China.

US President Trump

It should be noted that Trump shutting down USAID is not about abandoning the containment of China, but simply changing the approach.

After USAID was closed, a new organization called America First Global Aid took over its functions.

Under this new structure, some of USAID's methods will be abandoned and replaced with direct linkage to geopolitical interests, clearly prioritizing support for countries that align with the US, and explicitly using resources to counter China's influence in developing countries.

This is a more naked and efficiency-oriented way of opposing China, indicating that the anti-China stance has entered a new era.

Therefore, Trump is not against China; he just wants to skip unnecessary procedures and go straight to the point, with less disguise.

In his view, USAID is just remnants of the old money power, which cannot be used by him. He repeatedly said that closing USAID was to cut costs, because this agency spent a lot of money in a strange way.

But in reality, it's because these funds went into the pockets of Democrats and the establishment of the Republicans, rather than into his own pocket.

Therefore, he let the "America First" faction take over this function, and after that, he could easily share in the benefits.

This is also why both Bush and Obama came out to oppose it; their money bags have been replaced by Trump's, so they couldn't help but worry.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7521929719130882569/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your attitude below using the 【top/down】 buttons.